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James William MURRAY
(Angus1, John2)
and Cora Pauline WELLS James William “Jim” Murray was born in Mount Thom, Pictou County, Nova Scotia on the 4th September 1879, the third son of John Murray and Jessie Murray. He grew up on the farm with his parents, brothers and sisters. Jim and his brothers and sisters attended Mount Thom School. It is not known how much schooling they received. They grew up in the era of “spare the rod and spoil the child”. They told many stories testifying that the rod wasn’t spared in the Murray family. In the deeply Presbyterian family, it was a sin to whistle on the Sabbath so off to the woodshed and the rod. There were many woodshed occasions for what seem minor offences. There are rumors that Jim left home at twelve years of age to work in Ontario and Montana. Perhaps he did start working for a living at age twelve, but the Pictou County census records for Mount Thom list him at home with his family in 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 (1881 – age 1, 1891 - age 11,1901 - age 21 and 1911- age 31). The only information we have about Jim between 1901 and 1912 is that he traveled through the State of New York in April 1908.  Jim Murray
On the 28th May 1912 Jim crossed the border into the United States. The border crossing record was from the Port of Winnipeg, Manitoba. He listed his last permanent address as Salt Springs, Nova Scotia and his occupation as farmer. The name and address of his nearest relation in Canada was his brother, Alek (sic) of Rosthern, Saskatchewan. His destination was Butte, Montana and his was going permanently. He had $150 and was traveling by bus. The border crossing record asked for the name and address of a relative at his destination. He listed his uncle, Jas. R. Dawson, 59 W. Broadway. In the 1912 directory for Butte, Montana there was a Richard Dawson, miner, living at 59 W. Broadway. (Does anyone know who this Dawson is?) A Jas. W. Murray, miner was listed in the 1912 City directory for Butte and two were listed in the 1913 directory. In 1914 neither was listed. Jim was in Manitoba for a few years farming with Henry Sellers near Souris, Manitoba. Henry had the land that was homesteaded by Angus Sellers, son of Margaret Murray and Malcolm Sillers. Jim’s younger brothers, Bob and Jack, homesteaded near Sceptre, Saskatchewan. Their mother and sister joined them about 1912. Jim joined his family in Saskatchewan. He rented a farm about three miles away from where his sister, Annie Walsh, lived. One of the many things his sister did for him was make his winter footwear. They were like knitted socks with padded soles. He was never afraid of work and hired out and rented a farm for many years. Somewhere along the way he became well known for digging wells and put in many a good well in the area. (See pictures at end.) He was sixty years old when he bought his first farm from Russell Boyce a short distance out of Sceptre. He also rented land ten or twelve miles away and worked harder than he ever did. He said he could lick his weight in wild cats! One would see him at day break with a small tractor pulling a three deck wagon going to harvest at the east farm and returning with full loads at dusk. He was away again next morning with empty wagons for another days work. In 1945 he shocked the community, when he married Pauline Wells, a widow with three boys. Life changed for everyone. Jim with all his bluster had to adjust to a good housekeeper. Pauline never backed down from what she believed. Pauline’s son wrote an article in the Sceptre History Book, The Past to the Present, p. 400. He said, “His wife … although some thirty years his junior and despite the slightness of her stature, was one of the few who could stand up to the rough bluster of her husband. She used his own brusque tactics to prevent the repeated, unwelcome spring disking of HER beloved garden but was still unable to prevent Jim from leaving chewing tobacco stains wherever he habitually sat, in his large armchair or in the car that took him to town and to the never ending game of crib at Jim Shield’s garage almost every evening.” The boys were a great help to Jim. G. Lewis Donovan (in the Sceptre History Book) has the following to say: …“long-headed” as Pauline used to call him. Every year he planted quantities of potatoes so as not to be caught short in the driest of years. “There’ll always be something to eat in the house,” he used to say. So every year he had numerous bags of potatoes to give away to those who happened by at that time of year – to the ones known by his three stepsons as “our potato friends.” Jim was never afraid of hard work, for himself or for those around him, and would be going strong well before sunrise. Monday, at about nine thirty a.m., he used to say, especially at harvest time, “Come on you lazy bastards, move! It’s damn near Wednesday, half the week gone and nothing done!” or in the spring, at six thirty in the morning, he used to point up at Hammil’s tractor moving like a distant fly down a long hill land tell us that, “THEY” have done two hours of work while WE were greasing up the tillers. Only later did we learn that Hammils, who were working a 24 hour shift at the time, only stopped to fill with gas or to change operators. A flooding river, Sceptre gumbo or an icy Christmas, nothing stopped him from crossing to Kindersley to replenish a dwindling stock of rye whiskey or of stout beer, or from taking some more young chickens to “his own” Doctor McNeil at Empress after having been successfully treated for cataracts and for cancer. Jim seemed always to march to his own drum. In later times he seemed to be anti-establishment and unapologetic in his criticism of the status quo. He didn’t shy away from standing up to what he believed. He attacked what he perceived to be verbal or social hypocrisy. His stepson, Lewis Donovan says that he was fond of quoting scriptures out of context. He was a man with a “colorful” vocabulary. He enjoyed his sister-in-law’s reaction when he came to her house when she had a group of ladies in for tea and told her he was there to clean the outhouse (not his word). Under his gruff exterior there was a kind heart and generous nature. He was hard talking and rough with his buddies in crib games, but he was kind and generous with children. There was always a candy in his pocket for children and an encouraging word for young people. Edna Clark, a niece of Jim Murray, has the following remembrances of her uncle. I can remember Uncle Jim coming to our place (His place was about 3 miles or so from where I grew up). He would have each of us (six of us) take turns to drive his car. We did not need a driver’s license then! Every time we drove to Uncle Jack’s or Uncle Bob’s by horse and buggy we would have to go by Uncle Jim’s place. If he was out in the field summer fallowing or seeding or whatever he would always have us drive the tractor. He always had young kids around him. I can remember when the song came out “Get away, ol man, get away. Your lips are all tobacco juice and your chin is never dry”. We used to tease him. (He, also, was a big tease.) Uncle Jim chewed tobacco all the time so thus that song suited him. Jessie McPherson also remembers learning to drive. Jim always liked “kids”. I’m sure all of us first learned to drive a car with him. It didn’t seem to matter how big or little we were or if we knew anything about a car. He would just say, “You drive” and we managed. I can’t remember any calamities but whoever drove the car surely thought he was "cool”. Jim died at the age of 78 years on July 16, 1958 in the Prelate, Saskatchewan hospital and is buried in Sceptre Memorial Gardens. G. Lewis Donovan (in the Sceptre History Book) has the following to say: Although he passed away at the age of 78 after working as a hired hand, then renting and owning land at Sceptre for some forty years, no one will forget the Jim Murray who used to push to “get our harvest done first”, who gave confidence and responsibility to young lads of only 11 or 12 (“too young” according to some), who never forgot to drive up the field with something special, a flaming barrel fire, a thermos of hot chocolate or a packing of sandwiches on a cold drizzly September, rye-planting afternoon, and who would spend long winter evenings playing bridge at home or telling stories about the early farms in and around Sceptre, the fresh salmon sold on the streets of Halifax, the copper mines or about the early days of stoking prowess when he first came west at harvest time. Cora Pauline Wells
Pauline was born on the 17 February 1910 at Carnduff, Saskatchewan. She became a school teacher and taught at Bell School where she met Thomas Patrick Donovan. Pauline and Tom were married 27 Jan. 1933. They farmed during the dirty thirties even when the land blew into long drifts. Three sons were born – George, G. Lewis and Bruce. In the early forties when he was beginning to get the land back into shape, Tom became ill. When he could no longer work, Pauline went back to teaching at Rockfield School near Weyburn. It was a long trip from Sceptre to Weyburn with the cars and roads of the day. Tom died 18 February 1945 just over 34 years of age. On September 27, 1945 Pauline married Jim Murray. Pauline died 2nd Aug. 1960 at Paris, France. Parents of C. Pauline
Wells
Pauline was the daughter of Albert Rawdin Wells and Lillie Ann Harris. Albert was born at Guelph, Ontario on the 28th February 1866. The family moved to Charlevoix, Michigan. Albert married Elizabeth "Louisa" McGeagh and they had two children before relocating to Carnduff, Saskatchewan. Five more children were added to the family. Louisa died in 1907 and two years later Albert married Lillie Ann Harris who was the daughter of William Harris and his second wife, Mary Jane Wakelin. Albert and Lillie had four children, Pauline being the eldest. Grandparents of C.
Pauline Wells
Charles Wells was born Feb. 1821 in England. He came to Ontario and married Jane Cook on the 2 Jul. 1857 at Guelph, Ontario. Jane was born in Nichol Township, Wellington County, Ontario and was christened in Guelph on the 24 May 1840. Jane and Charles lived in Ontario, Saskatchewan and in Michigan. They had a family of twelve children, Albert Rawdin being the 4th child. Charles died 22 Jun 1904 at Norwood Twp., Charlevoix, Michigan and Jane died 29 Nov. 1908 at Elstow, Saskatchewan. Cook Great
Grandparents
Jane (Cook) Wells was the daughter of John Cook and Jane Pick. John Cook was born about 1800 at Thornbury, Gloucester, England and married Jane Pick on the 28 Dec 1825 at Tortworth, Gloucester, England. John and Jane had three children born in England and then they settled in Nichol Township, Wellington County, Ontario. They had eight more children in Ontario. Jane Pick Cook died 6 Apr 1882 and is buried at Fergus, Ontario. John died 5 Mar 1892 and is also buried at Fergus. Cook Great Great
Grandparents
William Cook was born about 1761 in Gloucester County, England. He married Anne Withers at Rockhampton, Glouchester, England on the 10 April 1798. Anne Withers was christened on the 29th April 1764 at Thornbury, England. William and Anne had four children. They came to Canada about 1830 with at least two of their children, John and Robert. Anne died before 1851 and William died after 1851. Withers Ancestors of
C. Pauline Wells
Anne Withers Cook’s parents were Thomas Withers and Elizabeth
Nelms. Thomas was christened 8 Feb1720/1721 at Thornbury,
England and Thomas and Elizabeth were married 16 Jul 1759 at
Thornbury.Thomas Withers’s parents were William Wyther and Elizabeth Jennings. William was christened 9 Aug. 1677 at Thornbury and William and Elizabeth were married 30 Apr 1719 also at Thornbury. William Wyther’s parents were John Wyther (christened 21 Mar 1640/1164 at Thornbury) and Christian Smith. They were married 4 Sep 1672 at Thornbury.  Drilling Wells in Saskatchewan
Jim Murray is the man with the vest. (He always seemed to be half-way dressed up.)  |