Elizabeth Lila Littlejohn Genealogy and Family History Notes

View Elizabeth's Birth Record 032587
Name: Elizabeth Lilela Littlejohn
Date of Birth: 3 Feb 1885
Gender: Female
Birth County: Victoria
Father's Name: John Littlejohn
Mother's Name: Elizabeth Marie Budd
Roll Number: MS929_73

1900 United States Federal Census - View Census
State: North Dakota
County: Pembina
Locale: South Carlisle Township
ED# 110
Series: T623
Roll: 1230
Page: 87
Enumerated 13th June 1900
1.
2.
3. Name: Littlejohn, Lila
4. Relationship to head: Daughter
5. Color or race: W
6. Sex: F
7. Month and Year of Birth: Feb 1885
8. Age at last birthday: 15
9. Single or Married: S
10. Number of years married:
11. Mother of how many children:
12. Number of living children:
13. Place of birth: Canada Eng
14: Fathers place of birth: England
15: Mothers place of birth: Canada Eng
16. Year of immigration: 1888
17. Number of years in the United States: 12
18. Naturalization:
19: Occupation:
20: Months not employed:
21: Attended school:
22. Can read: Yes
23: Can write: Yes
24. Can speak English: Yes
25: Owned or rented:
26. Owned free or mortgaged:
27: Farm or home:
28: Number of farm schedule:

1911 Census of Canada - View Census
Name: Lila Pethick
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Married
Age: 26
Birth Date: February 1885
BirthPlace: Ontario
Family Number: 289
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Spouses's Name: Harland
Tribal: English
Province: Saskatchewan
District: Battleford
District Number: 208
Sub-District Number: 30
Census Year: 1911
Page: 22

1916 Canada Census of Western Canada View Census
Name: Lila Pethick
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Married
Age: 31
Est. Birth Year: 1885
Birthplace: Ontario
Home in 1916: Saskatchewan, North Battleford, 12
Address: 45, 12, 3rd, Douglas
racial_or_tribal_origin: English
Relation to head-of-household: Wife

Pethick: Harland & Lila


In 1906, Harland Pethick came to the Wanganiu district, as it is now called. At that time it was just bald prairie. He was almost the first settler to take out a homestead. He passed right by what is now called Keatley Ridge and went further north. The prairie wool was so thick and high, you couldn't see a stone, and it looked like just what he wanted. He hoped to raise cattle, which he did, but to cultivate the land, you sure had to dig a lot of stones.

In 1907, Harland brought his family up from the States - his wife, Lila, one daughter Evelena, who was seven years old, and one son, who was nine months old. They traveled many miles from Maymont which was as far as the railroad went. Harland brought a wagon, two oxen, and a jersey milk cow. Their first home was made of sod. After a few years, they had another daughter Alphena.

Harland and his family did pretty well. They got the homestead proved up and a frame house built. Harland did all he could to built up the community. Everyone helped all they could to get a school built. They hired Stewart Muir, who was a good mason, and Allen Edwards, who was a carpenter. The rest was free Labor. Harland hauled wood from Meeting Lake and cut it into stove wood lengths for the school., and Lila scrubbed the school for many years. They lived just three quarters of a mile north of the school, so it was real convenient for the teachers to board there.

The Wanganui Post Office was first run by Herbert Young and then Mr. Pomeroy. After that, Harland Pethick had it for a number of years until the railroad came in in 1928; then, the Post Office was moved to Mayfair and called the Mayfair Post Office. Once again it survived several postmasters. At present, Dorothy Youst, a granddaughter of Harland Pethick, has been postmistress for ten years, and Leslie Pethick, Harland's great grandson is working for the post office in North Battleford.

Then, Tommie Pethick and myself, Rhonda Pethick, took over the reins, and we boarded teachers including Grace White, Harold Clark and Clara Holmlund. We also boarded the United Church student ministers - Edwin Kearn in 1937, John Phillips in 1939, B. F. Ennals (from Montreal, Quebec) in 1940, and A. Murley (from Marytown, Newfoundland) in 1941 These young men worked very hard. They biked six and one half miles to Aticane for their morning service, then on to Mayfair for the afternoon service, and back to Wanganui for their seven o'clock service.

Tommie Pethick hauled lumber from Speers with a four- horse tandem to built up Mayfair. It took many loads, but he was happy to do it. It brought a few dollars into his pocket as well as seeing the town grow. It was hard years back then. Tommie played for dances all night for $2.00 and baled hay in 40- degree weather for ten cents an hour. Things are a lot different now. When we had the drought in the 1930's we had to sell our cows for $ 8.00 a head and calves for $ 1.00 a head because we were short of feed. But, we never went hungry and we didn't have to take relief. We were lucky - a lot had to.

Tommie had a threshing machine and went out threshing every fall. Those were really the days. Everyone was getting ready for the threshers. There were eight stook teams, two field pitchers and one spike pitcher, an engineer and a separator man - a lot of men to cook for. Breakfast was at 5:00 A.M., lunch at 9:00 A.M., dinner at 12:00 noon and supper at 7:00 P.M. It was a lot of cooking too, but you could just see the fields cleaning off.

In 1943, we moved to the Ravenhead district with our four children. We rented Alicide Benoit's farm and later bought it. Ervin was 13 years old, Ronnie was ten, Dorothy seven, and Evelyn three. Later we had two more children: Bonnie born in 1945 and Gordon in 1949. The four older children went to Ravenhead until they finished grade 8. Bonnie went there only two years and Gordon started grade 1 in Redleaf. When Ervin was ready for grade 12, which wasn't taught in Mayfair, he boarded in North Battleford and took his grade 12 at the Collegiate and then worked for six months at the Royal Bank. That fall he joined the R.C.M.P. just before he turned 20 years old. He's still with the Force, living in Ottawa. He's married and has five children, all doing well. The two girls are married with good jobs. Tom is in university and the twins are taking their grade 13.

Ronnie married Alice Hryciuk, a teacher at Mayfair at that time. They have two children, one son and one daughter. Les works in the North Battleford Post Office and Donna is a legal secretary in North Battleford. Ronnie bought the home place.

Evelyn took her grade12 by correspondence, went on as a teacher, and then married Bob Page. She has two children Elaine and Greg. Dorothy married Victor Youst, a farmer. They have six children, all married and doing well. Bonnie married Jack Scotton, and they have two boys. Bonnie worked as a dental assistant for seventeen years, and Jack works for Victory Motors. Gordon works in Strathmore, Alberta, and is raising purebred horses. Tommie passed away in February of 1962, and I live in North Battleford.

Golden Memories
of the
Atican Mayfair
Mullenger Redfield
Whitlow
Districts
Pages 443, 444 &445

Given to me by David:

Told to DeEtt in Aug, 1989 from Bill Pethick:

Pethicks were from around Lindsay Ontario. They came here in ND. Harlan and Phillip Henry went to N. Battleford Sask and staked land. Harlan was married to Lyla, which was Grandma Littlejohn, Petick Bales sister. Littlejohns were from Woodville, Ont. area. They came to the States when Grandma Littlejohn Pethick Bales was 8 years old.


John Littlejohn, Elizabeth Lilela Littlejohn, Thomas Ervin Pethick, llene Mavis Pethick


Elizabeth Lilela & Alphena

Thanks to Ronald Pethick for the above photos.

More About Elizabeth Lila Littlejohn:
Burial: Unknown, St Mary's Church Yard, Keatley, Saskatchewan, Canada
Known As: "Lila"

Birth record and census images sent by Myrna.

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