Audrey Doreen Pierce

Audrey married Albert John Loren in Private. Albert (son of Jack Arthur Loren and Alice Florence Mottershead) was born on 7 Nov 1925 in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada; died on 20 Dec 1974 in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Dale Dianne Loren was born in Private.
2. John Lynn Loren was born in Private.
3. Wayne Albert Loren was born in Private.
4. Doreen Melba Loren was born in Private.
5. Darrell Emerson Loren was born in Private.
6. Victor Reginald Loren was born in Private.
7. Deborah Maureen Loren was born in Private.
8. Tracy Michael Loren was born in Private.
9. Clancy Kevin Loren was born in Private.

Notes:

Death Notes: 14 Jun 1979, Edmonton Journal

PIERCE, Jack -- On June 13, 1979, Mr. Jack Pierce of RR1, Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, passed away at the age of 78 years.
He is survived by his loving wife, Eva; three daughters and five sons, Audrey Loren, Donald Pierce, Delford Pierce, Coleman Pierce, Joanne Gillard, Linda Farro, Ross Pierce and Raymond Pierce; two sisters, Alice Armstrong of Fort Saskatchewan, Mabel Hannah of Edmonton, two brothers, Irv of Morinville, Alberta and Arthur of Thorhild, Alberta; 36 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren.
Funeral Services June 15 at First United Church in Fort Saskatchewan. Interment in Evergreen Memorial Gardens.

Burial Notes: Evergreen Memorial Gardens

John married Eva Lucina McKenzie on 17 Apr 1928 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Eva (daughter of Clarence Anthony McKenzie and Grace Mae Graham) was born on 20 Feb 1911 in Watonga, Blaine, Oklahoma; died on 21 Sep 2005 in Barrhead, Alberta, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Eva Lucinda (McKenzie) Pierce #920

Generation One

1.Eva Lucina McKenzie,[1],[2] b. 20 Feb 1911 in Watonga, OK,[3],[4],[5],[6] (daughter of Clarence Anthony McKenzie and Grace Mae Graham), d. 21 Sep 2005 in Barrhead, AB, CA,[7] buried 26 Sep 2005 in Fort Saskatchewan, AB, CA.[8]

The small town of Mapova:
The name was chosen by using the first letter in the names of the 1st settlers in that region!
When we left Shining Bank we stayed at Kimmerly Ranch, Stony Plain, AB. This was Dad's sister Lora & her husband Frank Kimmerly's place. They had 4 boys. Ralph, Frank, Chester & Lloyd.
From there to Bon Accord.
Mom, Grace (Graham) McKenzie passed away at Bon Accord.

She married John Alfred Pierce,[9],[10] also known as Jack Pierce,[11] 17 Apr 1928 in Edmonton, AB, CA,[12],[13],[14] b. 26 Nov 1900 in Shantybay Simco, Co. ON, CA,[15],[16] (son of Alfred Franklin Pierce and Mary Jane Mckee), d. 13 Jun 1979 in Fort Saskatchewan, AB, CA,[17] buried 15 Jun 1979 in Edmonton, AB, CA. John: 36 grandchildren 16 great-grandchildren. Was a farmer all his life.

PIERCE, Eva Lucina On Wednesday, September 21, 2005 Eva Pierce of Ft. Saskatchewan passed away at the age of 94 years. She is survived by her children, Audrey Loren, Donald, Delford (Willa), Linda (Aurelio) Ferro, Ross (Wilma), Raymond (Anne); 37 grandchildren; 90 great-grandchildren; 34 great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, John; son, Coleman; daughter, Joanne; three grandchildren; three brothers; and three sisters. A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, September, 26, 2005 at 3:00 p.m. at the Evergreen Funeral Chapel, 16204 Fort Road, Edmonton. Interment of cremated remains to follow in Evergreen Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2. To sign book of condolences, visit www.evergreenmemorial.com Evergreen Funeral Chapel, Cemetery, and Cremation Centre. Phone 472-9019.

Alfred + Mary Jane McKee. Mary died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

[FROM THE MAIN library BOOK] RAMBLING...RIVERS, ROADS & PROSE
The McKenzie Settlement - The Shining Bank Hill School, by Madge (Doran) Graham

In the Spring of 1913 nine families left Oklahoma to make their home in Alberta. They were the families of the brothers Vince, Sam, Floyd and Clarence (Buck) McKenzie, and brothers Pat, Hugh, Ira and John McKenzie along with Charlie Hakes. Charlie Hakes, Vince and Floyd McKenzie were all married to sisters, whose family name was Peterman. These nine families had a total of 35 children when they reached Peers. There were a number of children born after their arrival and, with the addition of the Clegg, Arnold, Graham and Welch families, more than seventy children and young people made their home in the McKenzie Settlement at one time or another.

Evidently the Government must have made additional land available as homesteads because these people all settled on homestead land within a short distance of one another. Many of the homesteaders were not proved up by the first settlers. Ira McKenzie owned the NW of 13 that Ray Graham later homesteaded. John McKenzie had the quarter that Henry Stainbrook later homesteaded.

I'm sure the Shining Bank Hill School was built in 1914, although it could have been 1915 as Fred Chalmers hauled the lumber for the floor and roof before he went into the Army in 1915. Pat McKenzie had no teacher training but taught the children the three R's (read'n, 'rittin and 'ritmatic)during a few months - possibly two or three each year.

Miss Madge Doran (Magdalene) was the first "outsider" teacher. She came in December 1919. In 1920 Miss Doran married Ray Graham. She taught a number of short terms. Other teachers were Miss Cornelia Prouse, Mr. Morley Moore, Mr. McKim and a lady I can't remember. The school house was of hewn logs, plastered in the cracks with mud, and was not sealed on the inside or out. There was no chimney and a huge iron stove placed in the middle of the room, furnished the heat. To say that it was cold in the classroom during the winter would be a real understatement.

The first nine families of McKenzie's came by immigrant train to Edmonton. They left Oklahoma because of three years drought and crop failure, so they had little money. Misfortune hit with a vim; they arrived in the Immigration Hall in Edmonton where many of the children became ill with diphtheria. At least two children died there and all of the families were quarantined for over three months. For a long time the men were not allowed to go out to work because of the quarantine and, with Doctor's bills, medicine and food, the money they had soon vanished.

Why did they go to Peers and then north to Shining Bank Hill? There were three possible reasons: 1/ They wanted to settle in one block and nearly all the homestead land near Edmonton had been teken up. 2/ The Immigration Officer in Edmonton was really "pushing" the Edson/Peers area. 3/ The land was only nine or ten miles from the railroad (which was very unrealistic as the roads ran through the bush increasing the distance considerable).

They finally arrived in Peers in June of 1913 and hired a wagon to move them to their land. They lived in tents until they could get small log houses built. They (the houses) had been there long enough to "settle" and they continued to leak; one can hardly imagine what that first summer was like. Many of the men could not afford lumber for the floors or for the doors. Vince and Buck McKenzie bought one Ox each which they used as a team to break small plots for gardens. Sam McKenzie and Charles Hakes bought the first teams of horses. Wagons, plows, discs, etc. were bought in common. Some of the men went out to work that summer and fall and a few chickens, pigs and cows were brought into the settlement.

Wild game, fish and berries were in abundance, and potatoes and root vegetable grew very well in the garden patches that were tilled. Fences were all rail made from small logs. As soon as the men could find the time they hewed log floors for their homes; these were called "puncheon" floors. (I don't know why!)

One thing favored these families in their first years. Wages in 1914 and 1915 were good and the men would go out and work in the bush, logging, or would go to the harvest fields or mines until they got a grub stake and then come back home and do a little more work on their homastaed, until they went broke again.

Buck and Grace McKenzie's baby girl, Esther, was born in a tent soon after they moved out from Peers, in July of 1913. That was a terribly wet year and the story is that the tent was floored with water all summer. Buck McKenzie had to go out to work that fall as soon as his family was settled in the little log house. He did not have money for a lumber door so a large canvus was used in its stead. They had bought two pigs and the bucket of pig feed was on the step just outside the canvas door. One night Grace was awakened by a great slurping and grunting - a bear was eating the pig's feed. Grace was a good shot, but knew the danger of only wounding a bear, so she sat the night through with the gun on her knee and in the morning she and her sister-in-law made a pole door to hang over the canvas. (There are dozens of such stories - all true - to illustrate the hardships of pioneer homesteading).

Those who didn't have teams, or who could not borrow the horses, carried their groceries into the settlement on pack boards or pack sacks. The men all worked together to build the school, a building of about 24 by 36 feet. Dances, ball games, wrestling matches, etc. provided the local group entertainment and helped to pass the long winters; there was no gramophone and very little in the line of books or newspapers. The women used whatever newspapers they could get their hands on to paste on the log walls to keep the chinking from falling into the house.

The first Christmas Concert and tree was the one that Miss Madge Doran, the first "outside" teacher, organized in 1919. The Christmas dinner consisted of boiled chicken, bread, tea, and cakes (no butter, milk or fruit). This will give you some idea of the poverty even in 1919.

The Missionary priests, Father Beaudry and Father Louis, furnished all there was in the way of religion on their visits two or three times a year. Most of the settlement people were Roman Catholics. Services were held in the school and later the Hakes home. Father McGowan and Father Fabian were later priests.

The Clegg family (Mr. and Mrs. and two boys)came about 1914 and left in 1919. Mr. Arnold, a widower, and his two boys moved into the settlement about 1916. Mr. Arnold had some money and was able to build a better house and had quite a few cattle. He sold out to Art Lister in 1924 or 1925. Art married Floy Graham and he, his mother,his two sisters and Floy left the farm and moved back to Cadomine in 1927.

The Vince McKenzie's moved to Bon Accord in 1919 and the Bill Welch family moved onto the vacated homestead for about two years. They had eight girls and some of them are still in the Edson district. Bill was what we all imagine the real pioneer to be - resourceful, bewiskered, a great storyteller, hunter and fisherman.

John and Ira McKenzie opened a small store near Bear Lake which they operated for a couple of years, maybe only one. However Floyd had gone back to Oklahoma and, in 1917, John and Ira followed him back home.

Vince McKenzie sold the balance of the stock from his "front room".

"Alex Graham" (J.E.) and his family (his wife and four girls and two boys) left Arkansas in the spring of 1916 with three covered wagons, drawn by mules, headed for Alberta. Buck McKenzie's wife Grace was Mr. Graham's daughter. The Grahams stayed in Montana the winter of 1916-17 and arrived at Peers as the river was freezing over, in 1917. There were no bridges over the McLeod, only ferries at Peers and Rosevear.

Mr Graham homesteaded in 1917. Ray homesteaded the old Ira McKenzie place in 1917 and Clyde took up a homestead about three miles north of the school in 1922. Ray sold his homestead to Clyde in 1926 and moved first to Edmonton and then to Ponoka. Mr. and Mrs. Graham, Clyde and his wife, the former Edith Pettie, and baby moved to Oklahoma in 1930. Mrs. Graham came back to Alberta to live with her daughters and died at the age of 94 in 1962. Mr. Graham died in Oklahoma having lived more that 100 years.

The Hakes family was the last to leave the McKenzie settlement. Henry is dead and his widow, Etta Welch, married again. Mrs. Hakes lived for some time with her son Charlie and I believe they moved away in the late 1940's.

Pat and Hugh McKenzie moved to Bon Accord in 1920 and 1922, later to Grassland, AB. Buck McKenzie and his family moved to Bon Accord in 1923. To my knowledge, Buck is the only one of the old family heads alive today; he is in the St. Joseph's Hospital, Edmonton. He is just past 90 years.

Many descendents of these pioneers live in Edmonton, near Fort Saskatchewan, or at Grasslands, while others are scattered all over Canada. The houses, with the exception of Mr. Graham's tumble-down first home, are gone. Even the roads are covered with tall trees. Truly Shining Bank Hill, where so many lived from 1913 to 1931, is a burial ground of dreams.

___________________________________________________________________________________________


[From the book] RAMBLING…RIVERS, ROADS & PROSE page 779

Shining Bank Hill School page 779 re Mckenzie Settlement

Construction began in 1914 and school opened in 1915. Volunteers' built it with logs from Cache Creek. $800.00 was borrowed for building and equipping the schoolhouse. The school operated only about three months a year. It was located in the McKenzie Settlement
SE 15-56-15-W5 that was NW of the main Shining Bank settlement. Books were sent out by the Dept. of Education and some of the students had books from the USA, resulting in some discrepancies in spelling and history. The first teacher was Mr. Pat McKenzie, followed by Madge Doran. At its peak, the number of pupils was approximately 35. When most of the settlers moved out, the school was closed.

Per an email from Doris Nadon in August 2013 after she viewed the Migration Map for her family in the "Migrations" section of the book: McKenzies of Early Maryland: You beat me to it. I think the map is pretty accurate. They crossed into Alberta at the Coutts border crossing, came directly to Edmonton, and then staked homesteads near Edson (approx. 120 miles west at Shining Bank where my mother was born), where they stayed for about 20 years.not all stayed there that long, moving to small towns near Edmonton...Doris

Death Notes: 15 Jan 1973, Edmonton Journal
McKENZIE, Clarence Anthony - On January 13, 1973, Clarence Anthony McKenzie of Edmonton, age 94 years, passed away. Predeceased by one son, Ron, and one daughter, Mrs. Esther Criss.
He leaves two sons and three daughters, Harold, Chilliwack, Tom, Vancouver, Mrs. E. (Mabel) Killips, Edmonton, Mrs. J. (Eva) Pierce and Mrs. J. (Marguerite) Pierce, both of Fort Saskatchewan; also 22 grandchildren; 57 great-grandchildren, and 11 great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral services Tuesday at 10 a.m. at St. James Church. Interment in Westlawn Memorial Park.
Burial Notes: Westlawn Memorial Gardens

Clarence married Grace Mae Graham on 5 Mar 1907 in Blaine County, Oklahoma. Grace (daughter of James Erasmus Graham and Annabelle Pruitt) was born on 19 Jul 1888 in Oklahoma; died on 4 Sep 1930 in Bon Accord, Alberta, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Burial Notes: St. Joachims Cemetery

Notes:

James A. McKenzie was born January 8, 1844, at Southampton, Pa., and died February 19, 1906, at the family residence in Hitchcock, Blaine county, Oklahoma, after a lingering illness. In 1869 he was united in marriage to Miss Esther E. Breig, in SS. Philip and James Catholic Church, Meyersdale, Pa., by Rev. Patrick Brown. They resided here until the spring of 1874, when he sought his home in the West, living in Kansas and Arkansas. When the new country of Oklahoma was thrown open for settlement, he was among the first settlers, and with his family endured many hardships, but his zeal and labors were crowned with success, and he became the owner of a beautiful farm. He leaves to mourn his death his wife and eight children, viz.: Laura, Mrs. Kimerly, of Saint Louis; Alice, Mrs. Eichorn, who lives in the Indian Territory; Vincent, Floyd and Samuel, of Oklahoma; Clarence, James and Clinton, at home; his aged mother, Mrs. Lavina McKenzie, brother Thomas and sister Mary, of this place; Julius of Illinois, and Aaron of Indiana. A brother and sister and three children preceded him to the spirit world. He was a kind friend, a loving and affectionate husband and father, a consistent Catholic, patient and resigned to God's holy will in his last illness. Fortified and strengthened with the last sacraments, he died with a hope of a glorious resurrection. May he rest in peace. Hand dated 1906

James married Esther Sophia Breig on 19 Sep 1868 in Meyersdale, Somerset, Pennsylvania. Esther (daughter of Ambrosius Breig and Margaret Ann Patton) was born on 25 Oct 1849 in Meyersdale, Somerset, Pennsylvania; died on 26 Apr 1911 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Death: 26 Apr 1911

Notes:

MCKENZIE, ESTHER S. (BREIG) Oct. 25, 1849 April 26, 1911 Age 61
Source: Somerset Newspaper, May 18, 1911; Transcribed by Betty Smith
Mrs. Esther S. MCKENZIE was the daughter of Ambrose and Margaret BREIG. She was born in Salisbury, Pa., October 25, 1849; died at Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 26, 1911, aged 61 years, 7 months, and 1 day. About June 1, 1911 (sic), she went to spend a few months with her daughter, Mrs. Alice EICHORN, where her health began to fail and all that medical skill and loving and tender care of her children could do failed to save her life. She is survived by the following brothers and sisters: Mrs. J. STACER, Mrs. R. KEMP and P.P. BREIG, of Meyersdale, Mrs. Wilson HAWN of Salisbury, PA; Mrs. Ozias WEIMER of Greenville; A.J. BREIG of Berkley Springs, W.Va.; Mrs. V.J. HARLEY of Parnasas, Pa; Geo F. BREIG of Vandergrift, PA. In 1869 Esther S. BREIG was united in marriage with James A. MCKENZIE at Meyersdale, Pa., in SS Philip and James church by Rev. Patrick Brown.
They resided here until the spring of 1874 when they sought a home in the west, living in Kansas and Arkansas. When the new territory of Oklahoma was thrown open for settlement she, with her husband and family were among the first settlers and endured the many privations and hardships of the new country, but their courage and zeal were crowned with success and they became the owners of a beautiful farm, where they lived in happiness and contentment until the death of the husband five years ago. Since that time, Mrs. McKenzie spent most of her time among her children. Three of her children died in infancy. Those surviving were Mrs. Laura KIMERLY, of Kingsville, Texas; Mrs. Alice EICHORN of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Clinton, of Texas; James, of Oregon; Clarence of Black Hills, S.D.; Vincent, Lloyd, and Samuel, of O'Kean, Oklahoma.
She was a faithful, devoted wife and mother, a kind and true friend and neighbor, always ready to minister to those in sickness and distress. She was a faithful and consistent member of the Catholic church, fortified with the sacraments of her holy faith, patient in her suffering and resigned in the will of God, she died with a hope of a blessed immortality. Funeral services were conducted by her pastor. Her body was laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery in Keith, Oklahoma, beside her husband. May her soul rest in peace.

James + Annabelle Pruitt. Annabelle was born on 14 Feb 1867; died on 29 Jun 1962. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]