Family Tree

Bill ADAMS was born Oct. 16, 1908 in New Tredegar, South Wales, the eighth child of Annie and Edward ADAMS. They lived on a farm in Phillipstown. Edward loved dogs so they always seemed to have one. It was good on the farm because there was a lot of bush and the barn was quite a distance from the house, so the dog would alert them to anything wrong. The boys were always swinging in the branches and rolling rocks down to the coal mine below - Phillipstown was on a hill. They moved down to Greenfield by the Rumney River, better for schooling, although none of them had too much - Bill figures he had about grade three. They all had to work to help support their growing family. There was a soccer field behind their house and they would get the soccer balls out of the river. There was also a lawn bowling green there. Edward and his oldest son, Ted, served in WW1. Bill remembers them sending Woodbine cigarettes to Ted. Ted was Bill's favorite brother (he always brought Bill things). Bill always remembers when he saw him coming home, looking so smart in his uniform, bullet belt over his shoulder - he pulled the cannons with a team of four horses. Remembers four soldiers bringing his dad home as he was quite sick. Bill's sister Charlotte worked in an ammunition factory making bullets for war - says her hands were just stained brown. In war time they would have to take their plates down to the soup kitchens to get something to eat. Would scrounge in garbage cans, eat orange peels, always hungry. Bill remembers once him and Matt got caught in a pea patch, were so scared, told the "Bobby" they kicked a ball in there. Don't think he believed them, but after a lecture, sent them on their way. Their favorite food was Faggots (hamburger and peas). Edwards parents, Thomas and Mary ADAMS, had a candy shop - she would give them candy, but not him. They rode bikes with no tires - bone shakers! Mountain ponies would come down into the garbage in Greenfield, they'd actually catch them and jump on and ride - great fun! Brister was the last place they lived. They would go to the seashore by bus - no top - a Charabang. This was the Barrie Islands - Swansea - Caerphilly Castle. Tommy sometimes took Bill on the handlebars of his bike on weekends. They'd ride the donkeys, be gone all day, so hungry when they got home as they had no money to buy anything. Christmas was a happy time, one of the few good meals of the year. Not much in their stockings, just nuts, an orange if lucky, never any gifts. Bill really remembers his mom's Christmas puddings done up with holly and all! At age 13, Bill joined his brothers in the coal mines. A terrifying experience - lunch in a sealed so rats wouldn't get it. Had to make sure their lamps didn't go out - no other lights. Coal carts were pulled by horses. It was about two miles down, and the horses were taken down in a sort of cage, just like the men and would be down there for months without coming up. The boys spent a lot of time laying on their side or kneeling in the mud, to chip away the coal. They kept canaries in the tunnels, if they died you knew you'd better get out! Bill remembers the timbers bracing the tunnels were stamped from Canada! Must have been an omen! Bill had to quit after two years, as working in the damp with leather shoes got to be too hard on his feet - he had to cut holes in the top of his shoes so his toes wouldn't hurt so much (took years before his feet really healed). They wore white canvas type pants in the mines - guess the fabric kept the coal dust out. All the boys
Albert, Tommy, John, Bill and Matt) working in the mine at that time would have their bath in a tub in the middle of the kitchen, same water, oldest first. Bill can't quire remember how they had any privacy. They slept upstairs, four to a bed, two each end. Albert, Tommy, John and Bill together. Bill remembers John walking in his sleep, so to cure this, they put a tub of water at the bottom of the stairs! Bill says sleeping was a challenge, as you always had someone's feet in your face. Emmy was like a mother to Bill being fifteen when he was born (said he was so small they carried him on a pillow). She stayed home to help with all the work. Bill thought an awful lot of her. Edward had a market garden, so on leaving the mines, Bill went to work with him. They delivered vegetables up and down the streets with a horse and cart. They had a scale on the cart to weigh the onions, potatoes, etc. Edward also hauled coal to the schools. Bill, John and Tommy would pack the sacks on their backs. After that he had a Fish & Chip shop so Bill helped him there, peeling potatoes in a big drum with sharp edges - full of water- peeled them so clean. Edward played the big drum in the Salvation Army band, also worked with the Boy Scouts - would use eight foot poles to vault over the fences. Edward was a man of many talents and would try anything to make a living, whether it was something to be built or whatever. Bill's last job before coming to Canada was for a farmer - would do odd jobs. The hay was all cut by hand and raked with a wooden rake, quite different from the way it is today! Bill really liked the job and the family and hated to leave, but the Soldiers Settlement Board had all the arrangements made for them to leave their homeland for bigger and better things!
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Edward and Annie came to Canada in 1928, bringing Bill, Matt, George, Mary and Pryna with them. Tommy was also supposed to come with them but took a terrible spill on his bike the day before they were leaving, gashed his face badly, many stitches, so had to stay behind.
They sailed from Liverpool on the White Star Laurentic. Bill says his dad was the only one who wasn't seasick. The rest were sick for about three of the five days sailing. They were only up on deck once because it was so rough, they were looking for icebergs. But it was nice down below with all the different nationalities playing music. They landed in Quebec on May 6, 1928, then by train on to Vernon. They had no place to sleep, just had to sit up all the way. Had lunch in Vernon - Bill says he saw the first Chinaman he'd ever seen. A man from the Soldiers Settlement Board drove them by car to Lumby. They were told they were getting a fruit farm, but all it was, was bush. All they had was a trunk full of possessions, no furniture at all. The neighbors were really good and brought them furniture and food. There was a saddle in the barn, Bill would have loved a horse to go with it. A day or two after they arrived in Lumby, a man from the Soldiers Settlement Board came for Bill, drove him to the Dennison farm up Creighton Valley where he worked on the farm, in the bush and also did some trapping, for three years. Said they were really good to him - were an English family so that helped. Everything was so strange after living in Wales. He had the use of a horse while there and used to ride it the eight miles into Lumby. He loved following the Lumby Flying Frenchmen Hockey Team, so regardless of the weather, he would go to town. He'd help clean the ice and was the goal judge, no nets in those days so really had to be on his toes. They'd go to Armstrong by bus, said the fans - mainly the girls would really get on him. After the games he'd ride back home on his horse, would be so cold sometimes, he'd have to get off and walk to try and warm up, but he never missed a game. Edward tried to make a living on his place by cutting cord wood. He would haul it to Vernon by horse and wagon for $2.00 a cord.
In 1929, Tommy came with his oldest sister Emmy, her husband Tom (HUGHES)
and their three kids. Edward and Annie never got used to it in Canada and longed to go back to England, so in 1931, along with Pryna and George they went back. Bill never dreamt it would be the last time he would see his parents. When Bill quit at the Dennison place, his pay was three cows, which he herded into Lumby, on foot, dropped one off for his sister Mary, and two for Emmy. Emmy, Tom and family eventually moved to Oliver, and even in later years, Bill would take Evelyn and the three girls to visit his favorite sister and her family, at least once a year - quite a trip at that time as you had to take the ferry at Kelowna. Bill worked at various jobs in the bush, the last being driving a team of horses for Johnny Genier. In 1936, Bell Pole bought the team and Bill went with them, later driving the hoist, a job that would last until his retirement in 1977. When he first worked there, his pay was $.25 an hour. In 1977, George (who apparently served in Italy during WWII) came from Stevenage England, to visit with Bill, Matt, Tommy and Mary who were still all in Lumby (Matt also worked for Bell for many years). A very enjoyable time - he stayed for three weeks - as they hadn't been together since 1931! In 1979, Bill made his first trip back home, when him and Evelyn and Bill Jr. went to England. First time in fifty one years to see his brother Albert - they both knew one another! Pryna didn't know Bill though and he barely recognized her, but it wasn't long until all the old memories came back. Regrettably, of course, their parents were both gone, Edward having passed away in 1940, age 70 and Annie at age 84 in 1952. Was really hard for Bill saying good-bye as it would be unlikely that he would see them again, which he wouldn't. Today, only Bill, who will be 91 in October and Matt who will be 89 in March are left. Matt still lives in Lumby. Bill now lives at Orchard Valley Retirement Residence in Vernon.
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He (Bill) married Evelyn LeBlanc in 1939 and they lived on their original place for 39 years, until August of 1978 when they bought a new home in Lumby. In November 1984 they moved to a beautiful home on Mission Hill in Vernon where they lived until, sadly, Evelyn passed away in 1987. Bill stayed in his home until his 90th birthday, October 16, 1998, then sold his home and has a nice apartment at Orchard Valley.
Bill and Evelyn had four children, Margaret, Ann, Patricia, and Bill Jr. , 11 grandchildren, and at this writing 16 great grandchildren. Evelyn is buried in Vernon, Pleasant Valley Cemetery. Bill is still very active, still taking his daily walks, bowling once a week, and still doing his woodwork (fancy scroll), a hobby he's had for about 60 years. We have some real treasures he has made, and it seems like we're going to have a lot more.
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