PHONO JONES on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Videos

PHONO JONES on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Videos

Why I joined Facebook's County Tyrone Network

My grandmother, I'm told, was born at Cookstown, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland.

Her name was Caroline Kempton and upon her death at Montreal, Canada, Granny was laid to rest beside her beloved, Leonard Edmund Woodbourne Jones, my grampa who died himself at Montreal in 1939. I never knew Granny Caroline and when Grampa Leonard died, I was but 2 years old.

(Sgt.) Leonard Edmund Woodbourne Jones, was born at Woolwich Arsenal, England (http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/LeisureCulture/HistoryAndHeritage/Woolwich.htm), and his brother's name was Ted.

In the early 1970's, I had a unique opportunity to meet my Uncle Ted and his wife in west-end Montreal. One day, my dad telephoned to mysteriously summon me to meet him near the Kent Theatre in Notre Dame de Grace (NDG) as quickly as possible, saying that his brother, my Uncle Ronny, would be there too. I did and the three of us then walked a few streets over to a Sherbrooke Street West apartment at Grand Boulevard. As we walked, my dad explained we were about to meet his Uncle Ted. And so we did minutes later when Ted opened his door to welcome us.

Ted was fit and well-tanned having spent time in Florida. His wife sat comfy and barefoot in a corner upholstered chair all the while knitting, knitting and smiling quietly to herself. My dad and I both stood 6 feet tall, while Ronny was 6' 4" and we all towered above Ted. Despite his age, Ted was robust, even more I thought than my dad seemed at that moment. Ted owed his good health he said to a Pacemaker implanted in his chest and unbuttoned his shirt to proudly show us his surgical implant scar. A group photo was taken of the four of us smiling happily and standing altogether, a wonderful souvenir which I haven't seen in years.

Earlier that week, my mom had answered the doorbell to find an elegant elderly couple at her doorstep. The gentleman smiled brightly and asked, "Does Lenny Jones live here?".

In astonishment, my mom soon came to realise it was Uncle Ted and his wife, recently returned to Montreal from Florida. Until that astounding moment, Ted's whereabouts had been a mystery to my folks since he attended my grampa's funeral in 1939.

In the 1930's Ted had worked as a shipper for Canada Packers in Montreal, but lost his job after a customer complained one of Ted's shipments of a case of creamery butter had been delivered to his store in error. Somehow, news of Ted's dismissal by Canada Packers reached the headquarters of an American trade union and Ted was soon contacted with an offer of employment in Montreal as their local representative. He accepted and apparently did well in his new job with the trade union, saving enough funds to purchase and operate a motel near the Quebec Laurentian Mountains community of Rawdon. Eventually, Ted retired and moved to Florida.

Two weeks after meeting my uncle for the first time in my life, Ted's Pacemaker failed and he died.

Caroline Kempton-Jones gave birth to three sons, Leonard, Ronald and Roy who perished as an infant of malnutrition, having starved to death at her breast.

Playing truant as a youngster whilst his father was away playing soldier, my dad Leonard trudged along railway tracks to gather lumps of coal fallen from steam locomotive tenders which his mom then used to heat her tarpaper shack home for her dear wee babes.

As a boy, my dad also worked as a Printer's Devil, cleaning lead type until caught by the truancy policeman, he was sent back to school. As a young adult, he worked in the stock exchange, chaulking numbers on the Big Board and then one day met the love of his life, Marjorie Winch who worked at Bank of Montreal Head Office in St James Street, Montreal. They married and I was born.

Nearly 72 years later as the last man standing with Uncle Ted in that missing group photo and searching for my family's roots, I joined Facebook's County Tyrone Network.

Chutes Coulonge - Welcome

Re-discovering the natural beauties of La Belle Province and Les Chutes Coulonge, thanks to the Internet , I realise the Upper Ottawa countryside has seen considerable development since my first venture there one summer with my young family, Helena and our children Susan, Catherine, Robin and Heather travelling by car up the Pontiac to visit my good friend Fern Laliberte, his wife Helen and their kids at Campbell's Bay, QC.
Fern worked at Pontiac Paper Mill where we'd met during one of my business tours of the region.
It was Fern's thoughtful kindness and community pride that took our families together to picnic in the lush green pine forest alongside those rushing wild, brown waters of la Riviere Coulonge and there to share a good natured day of folksy hilarious pranks and practical jokes.
Fern had cleared and set up a primitive campsite under the pines at river's edge for his family and friends, including the requisite wooden picnic table, a rough stone firepit and a comfy wooden one-holer outdoor privy...site of his greatest prank of the day...including exploding firecrackers and a paper wasp nest.. although his wife Helen tied a ribbon on our day with one of her own:
Towards the end of our wonderful family outing, it began to rain...but what's a picnic without rain?
Still seated around the picnic table, Helen and Helena were sharing favorite recipes.
As the rain began to fall through the pine trees overhead, Helena was scrambling with pen and paper, trying to scribble out Helen Laliberte's favorite old family recipe for roast turkey, which instead of a bread crumb stuffing, called for popcorn.
With everyone except Helena holding their breath in anticipation, Helen hurried to dictate her recipe whilst excitedly urging Helena to hasten before the rain obliged us all to take shelter with the children in our vehicles.
Finally, Helena finished and sitting back for a moment, she studiously began to review aloud what she'd written in haste, blindly unaware that she'd just become the brunt of the prank of the day...
the popcorn stuffing explodes!
As long as life permits, with thanks to Fern and Helen Laliberte of Campbell's Bay QC, I shall never forget that glorious day at La Riviere Coulonge.
Je me souviens!

Chutes Coulonge - Welcome

Cookstown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cookstown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia