A Poem and Some Detective Work

This post is out of sequence chronologically as it refers to events and photos from 1911-12 (prior to Thomas and Daisy moving to Cumberland House with Tommy).  As I was going through papers and photos, I found the following poem written by Thomas K. Pinhey in 1912:

To a Ten Dollar Bed Lounge

By

T. Knevitt Pinhey

1

Peace is here and ceased is strife

Happiness for child and wife

Husband too at Eighteenth Street

And they find it very sweet

For their Iris, dear, has flown

Left their happy little home

On the bed does Knevitt lie,

No more thro the night he’ll sigh

On that bony, creaking lounge,

On that hard, unyielding lounge.

2

In the morning he can clean

From his toes clear to his bean

He can slide into his bed

Covering up his greasy head

He can feel sure the clothes

Will be covering up his toes

When the cold dawn he shrinks

Loud he laughs as he oft thinks

Of that bony, creaking lounge.

3

Iris to P.A. will run

When with us we have the sun

On the porch then she shall sleep

The mosquitoes safe to keep;

She shall have a hammock wide

Lined with cotton wool inside,

But we’ll never ask her more

All night thro to twist and snore

On that bony creaking lounge

On that hard unyielding lounge.

Thomas' poem refers to "Eighteenth Street" and, with a little digging, I was able to find a 1911 photo of a house labeled "338 18th Street W" Prince Albert and photos labeled 1911 showing Thomas, Daisy and Tommy at the same house.  Also, I found a photo of Iris and what I suspect is the "Ten Dollar Bed Lounge" referred to in T.K.'s poem.  The house at 338 18th Street West shows up in the prior post about Waitville and I have corrected the captions accordingly.  Here are the photos - the poor quality of these photos and the photos of Cumberland House are due to the photos being developed at home by T.K. (and at the trading post):

Iris and the $10 Bed Lounge (this photo was labeled as "Iris")

Iris in a later photo (must be Winnipeg! It's cold!)

 Thomas Knevitt Pinhey at 338 18th Street W (1911)

Thomas and Daisy at 338 18th W (1911 - might be the earliest photo of Thomas and Daisy as a couple)

Thomas at Work - Thomas is in the center holding a hat - the man on the left is Elliot Fisher and the other man is W. Ireland (?) 

338 18th Street W (Daisy is in this photo)

Cumberland House

The Revillon Freres Trading Post, Cumberland House 1914

My father's memoirs recall how Thomas and Daisy moved to Cumberland House around 1913:

"My parents (Thomas Knevitt Pinhey and Daisy) moved to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and my father made a living at various jobs. He worked part-time as a stagehand, sold flour for a milling company and did some accounting for Revillon Freres (Revillon Brothers), a French fur trading and luxury goods company whose headquarters were in Paris and also New York. They were in competition with the Hudson Bay Company. Revillon Freres sent him to Cumberland House, their central post, to audit and manage while the “factor” was on vacation (a factor, from Latin for ‘doer or maker’ is a mercantile fiduciary who receives and sells goods on commission). I forgot to mention that my brother, Thomas Shellard Pinhey was born in Prince Albert in November 1911.

Apparently my father’s audit revealed the fact that something was wrong in the management of the Revillon post at Cumberland House and he was offered the job as factor of the post. This involved trading with the Cree Indians, primarily for muskrat pelts. Flour, tea, tobacco, clothing and other necessities were traded for the furs. Father did well and after the first two years contract; he signed up for another two years.

     

I, Edward Shellard Pinhey, was born Sept 10, 1914 at Cumberland House. The main building was not complete and I was born in a sort of log cabin.  My parents had canoes posted down the river (Saskatchewan) to create relays to get mother to Le Pas, the closest place where a doctor was available, but I arrived early and the canoe men had a nice holiday while my mother was availing herself of the services of “old Nokom” the one midwife. Nokom was not a painless practitioner, but with my father as an assistant, brought “Little Musquasis” (little bear) into this world. I earned the name Musquasis by grunting a lot. A six ounce lead fishing weight was placed on my navel while mother was being attended to and I can thank my father and Nokom (grandmother) for my “shapely” navel. The relays of canoe men were recalled and all went well."

A note of interest - when Thomas K. Pinhey worked as a stagehand, he saw Charlie Chaplin perform as a member of the Karno comedy troupe in Canada around 1911.  My grandfather was not impressed with Charlie because, as he said, Charlie's idea of comedy was to eat soda crackers and then spray them out of his mouth (spit take?) onto another of the actors as part of a comedy routine.  T.K. considered this to be a bit uncouth.  Charlie, of course, went on to be a mega-star in silent films.

Canoe on the River near Cumberland House, 1914

The log house where Edward Shellard Pinhey was born (photo dated 1914)

Daisy Pinhey and  Edward S. Pinhey ("Musquasis" is 1 month old)

Sarah (helping Daisy), Daisy Pinhey and Edward 1914