Born to Richard Mercer (March 25, 1875-July 2, 1942) who
was a blacksmith, and Ellen Wright (May 24,1874January 8,
1945), who were married on February 13, 1899 in Ditton,
England. All of their children were born in England except
Richard (Chic), who was born in Lethbridge.

Florence Mercer: November 27, 1899-June 10, 1900 (Diptheria)
Ada Mercer: February 27, 1901-September 8, 1901 (Diptheria)
Ernest Mercer: May 14, 1904-November 25, 1972
Nellie Mercer: April, 1907-October 13, 1990. Married
Lester Christianson, two daughters.
Married Jim MacDonald.
William Mercer (Weasel): April 21, 1909-March 29, 1960.
Married Mary Gray, two daughters and two sons.
Married Evelyn Tilley, three daughters.

Grandad (Ernest Mercer Jr.), came from Lancashire England
in 1910, with his dad, when he was six. His parents had
a blacksmith shop on second street behind Niven's
Machine Shop. Their home was on nineteenth street.
Granddad worked for Harry Snowden when he was sixteen
-that's how he met Granny -- the farm was just north of
where Granny lived. He used to borrow Snowden's car
to court Granny. This car had snap-on sides and doors

Marion (Mercer) Arnold was born on May 10, 1908, in
Treheame Manitoba, to Alexander and Alice Arnold.
Alex was a farmer who married Alice Dellahunt at
the age of twenty-one. Granny Amold's parents travelled
to Manitoba in Red River carts. The squeal of
wheels was a sound remembered by all settlers.
Marion was number three child.

Alex and Alice Arnold moved to Strongfield, Saskatchewan.
They lived in the front of a machine shed. When Aunt
Ethel was born, Granny was disappointed. She thought
she was getting a doll, not a sister. Grandpa stayed
and Granny Arnold took the family back to Manitoba
because of no money. Marion stayed with the Stones
and later went to Manitoba. Granny remembers the time
Ethel bounced a cream pitcher off of her head. They
had been playing in their playhouse. Ethel had a temper.
They had chipmunks for pets. Hazelnuts grew wild and
Granny Dellahunt was always picking berries.

Marion lived with Aunt Lizzy in Bethune Saskatchewan,
prior to moving to the Dykstra farm at Lethbridge with her
parents in 1920, at the age of twelve. Aunt Lizzy,
Granny Arnold's sister, took Granny (age nine), to be
company for Mary (Fishley). They drowned gophers
together and picked wild strawberries. Granny traveled
to Lethbridge by train. She distinctly remembers the stink
and black from the old steam train powered by coal.
Grandpa and Granny Arnold retired after Grandad had
worked as a caretaker at the Cayley School.

Marion attended White School when it was located south
and west of its current location. Marion took a horse and
cart to school and students kept their horses behind the
school. Granny rode a white horse named Tango. Lily
Morris (Mrs. Dick Henderson) was a teacher Granny
remembered. Granddad would always hit her horse with
his reins. Granddad always had spirited horses. Granny
rode to Readymade with Mamie Ryder to a show. After
the show, they spent the night with Mamie's sister.

Marion Arnold's and Ernie Mercer's Life Together:

Marion and Ernie were married in the United Church in
Lethbridge. Aunt Nellie (Granddad's sister) and George
Osborne were the bridal party. The dance was at Burgmann's
Hall. Whittaker played the piano and someone threw the
wedding cake out the window. Because of the rain, Granny
and Granddad spent their wedding night at Aunt Daisy's
(Granddad!s aunt). They went home the next day to the farm
(the Windmill Place). It was rented from John Snowden.
It was a one room shack with curtains that were bought by
Mrs. Maclntyre. Granny recalls getting many nice things.
While living at the Windmill Place, Uncle Ab lived with
Granny and Granddad. He always had a sling-shot. He
shot over the house, hit the telephone pole, the rock
ricochetted, and took out the kitchen window. Just after
this Granddad added two rooms to the house. Granddad
had a blacksmith shop at the farm. He moved the equipment
and building from town. He sharpened plough shares and the
forge was turned by Della. He also shod and broke horses
for people. After getting their work done, customers stayed for
lunch.

At this time transportation was with a horse and a democrat -
(a buggy with four wheels). Granny used to go to Ann
Netimeyers (Niedermier) to get her hair done, with Duke
pulling the democrat.

Grandad and Granny went to dances at all of the schools.
One time because of snowy, muddy roads, they went on a
stoneboat to a Maclean dance. Dancing " Call of the Pipes"
was a favourite with Tom Coupland. They went one time with
Harold and Daisy Jelfs to a dance. There was always a crock
of wine in the buggy. Grandma Coupland was known for her
home remedy of brandy.

Washing clothes and bread baking always happened on Monday.
Water was hauled in barrels with Dolly and a stoneboat. Uncle
Don burnt his shoes while Granny was milking the cows.
Apparently they were wet, and he put them on the coal stove
so they would dry faster. Grandad always had jobs off the farm.
They included hauling beets and grain to Coaldale for other farmers.

Grandad went from horses to tractors and then the bottom fell out
of the wheat market (Dirty Thirties). Machinery was repossessed
and the farmers were devastated. As a result, they went back
to horses.

They moved to the Marshall place. The blacksmith shop was
built out of the wood from an old house at the Windmill Place
and Grandad brought equipment from his father's blacksmith
shop in Lethbridge.

Louis Banack came to the farm in the summer of 1939. He
and Louie Wilke, his friend, were riding the rods. They had
gone from Roundhill (near Camrose) to Portage la Prairie
and were on their way home. There was always a fear of
being arrested for being a vagrant. The boys kept their
money in the sole of their shoes. Lou missed the next
freight train and endedup working for Grandad as a hired
man for $1.00 a day for six years.

In 1943, the old barns burned down (hog, horse, and cow).
One had been used for grinding chop as well. (Cows got
into the chop one time and all of them died.) Grandad
was burning fertilizer sacks and one sack hit a barn.
In between the barns was straw, so everything burned.
At that time Grandad tried to sell a sow and 12 piglets.
However, they were worth nothing.

Lou and Ernie went in a Model A Ford down to the mine
past River Junction to get Frankie Bachelor to help with
the building of the new barn. Coming back up the hill in
the mud and rain they burnt out the clutch, and had to
walk to O'Neill's to get a ride. The War was on at this
time and lumber was brought from the Concentration Camp
to build the barn. They used the 1936 Red International truck.
Uncle Gordon, Lou, Couplands, Ernie, Grandad and the
neighborhood people built the barn. It was shingled for
$200 and Grandad supplied the shingles. The floor was made
tongue and groove. The walls of the barn were whitened
with lime for disinfectant. It was completed in 1944 and barn
dances were held in it. Della had her wedding dance in the
barn, and the "Alberta Ranch Boys" played. Mr. and Mrs.
Uchida helped with the wedding. We were worried about
fire and as a result the dances ceased.

Crops grown were sugar beets, hay, oats and wheat. Cream
was shipped to the Crystal Dairy (4 cans at a time) in the
back of the Pontiac car.

In 1954, Grandad built the "big house". The house was built
by George Hunt and Ernie. Kay did the varnishing and
shellacking of the doors. After thirty years of marriage Grandad
bought Granny the "Lady Hamilton" silver.

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