Winter fun revolved around the snow, but sometimes the white stuff was a nuisance.

Skating arenas were never heard of where we lived so we made do with our own homestyle rink.

Although the thermometer read twenty below there was no stopping us from gathering in Bob's Field.

We came armed with not only skates but shovels to clear the snow and wood to build a fire.

By the time the snow was pushed aside, we were sweating as if it were July. Foolishly we threw the scarves and boots into the snow as we hurried to get the skates on. It never seemed to dawn on us that we should place them near the blazing fire that was burning.

We skated round and round and when our legs became too tired to move, we stood by the fire and sang Wilf Carter songs in the moonlight.

It seemed that none of us had curfews on Friday and Saturday nights, but the bitter cold occasionally reminded us it was time to head home. Mittens were taken off as we tried to untie those frozen laces of our skates. Next came trying to pull on the boots with the frozen buckles.

The scarves that Mum had insisted that Cliff and I wear, kept the wind from biting our noses on the cold walk home. We knew Mum would have hot cocoa waiting for us, when we walked through the door.

I wonder if the Walsh kids who lived on the West Side of Saint John had hot cocoa waiting for them when they came home from practicing for speed skating matches. Seven generations of this family have been involved in the sport.

Michael Walsh and Margaret Gleeson were married on Apr. 28, 1855 in Saint John. They had sons Patrick born Jan. 21, 1856 and Edmund born May 03, 1857. Tragedy struck this family in October of 1858. Michael Walsh and his brother-in-law Thomas Gleeson were drowned at the Reversing Falls. Margaret returned home to Westfield to live with her parents Michael and Honora Gleeson.

Karen Walsh of Fredericton has been tracing the descendants of Michael Walsh and Margaret Gleeson for several years and now her research has been published.  She was unable to find any information on their second son Edmund but has details on the 396 known descendants of son Patrick.

Patrick Walsh married Ann Jane O'Brien on Mar. 13, 1877, the daughter of Joseph O'Brien and Anne Murphy. Their family consisted of thirteen children. For many years they lived at 374 Watson Street in Lower West Saint John. The children and their children lived and worked in the West Side until 1960 before branching out to other areas.  For many years they were employed with the C.P.R., the Port and involved in weir and salmon fishing. At the age of 74, Patrick Walsh was instantly killed when struck by a streetcar on Brittain Street.

The unindexed 400 page book of "The Descendants of Michael Walsh and Margaret Gleeson of West Saint John, New Brunswick" is generously filled with family photos and obituary notices.

Karen states in her introduction: "The West Side Walsh Family is unique in that we are our own little family and not related to the other Walsh or O'Brien families in Saint John."

Copies of this book may be purchased, by writing to:  255 Carleton St., Fredericton, NB, Canada, E3B 5N2.

******

Query 98-573
Austin - Gabel - Buzzell - Shearer - Brown - Clark:  My Great-great-great grandfather, Samuel Austin fled from New York as a Loyalist to Saint John about 1783. He married Eva Gabel who died in 1853. He may have lived in Saint John, but moved to Scotchtown in Queens County, New Brunswick. He was in the lumbering business on the St. John river where he drowned in 1824 or 1829. He had 10 or 11 children; Samuel Jr.(1792); Nathaniel J. P. Austin (1800) - my great grandfather - left for Enniskillen, Durham County in 1837; Justus; Henry; John E.; David; Catherine married John Buzzell; Elizabeth married John Shearer; Sarah married Issac Brown and Charlotte married Alexander Clark. I would like anyone who is related to or has an interest in this family to please contact me.
 -Robert A. Holroyd, 3701 Haven Ave.,  Racine, WI., USA., 53405. Or E-mail holroyd@wi.net

 
 Query 98-574
Walker: Lucy A. Walker, widow of David Walker lived in Saint John, New Brunswick from 1889 to1898.  Her children were: Charles Herbert (Mar. 31, 1867); Mable Amelia, baptized on Jul. 5, 1869 and married Thomas H. Morrison of Indian Town on Aug. 4, 1887. They had one son Thomas born about 1886. Thomas Sr. married Celia King on Aug. 31, 1897 and lived on Duke St. until at least 1910; Mary (1871); Harriet (1873); Anne (1875) and Medley (1878). If anyone has information on these people please contact:
 -Joanne Orchard, 37 Morehouse Road, Haneytown, N.B., E2V 3R6. E-Mail forchard@brunnet.net
 

Query 98-575
Fritch: I am looking for information on my Mother's family. They were U.E.L.'s arriving in the spring fleet. They had ties to St. Martins and the north end of Saint John. One uncle, George Fritch ran the Clifton House Hotel. There was also a Rowland Fritch who lived on Mount Pleasant. He died in 1938. I would like to know how he is related to the family. I have a great deal of information on the family that I am willing to share.
 -Ann Thorne. E-mail thorcan@planet.eon.net.
 

Query 98-576
McCraw - McRae - McRaw -: There are 9 McCraw  references in "Atlantic Canadians 1600-1900".  They are all listed as loyalists, living circa 1783.  These same names can also be found in Wright's book, "Loyalists of New Brunswick".  It is noted in Wright's book that some of them went to land in the Mirimachi area and a few started out in the St. Stephen, St. Andrews area. The given names are Alexander (I think that this is most likely Capt. Alexander who was with the North Carolina Highlanders), Donald, Duncan, Farquhar, John, Kenneth, Mark, Michael and Neil.  I am working on the theory that they had all originally emigrated to North Carolina just prior to the American Revolution and that they were probably all connected in some family way.  I can find no other trace of them and would appreciate any ideas for research or any information that anyone might have on these people.
 -Anne Brand, 15084 Buena Vista Ave., White Rock, B.C.,  V4B 1X9. E-mail to  Anbran@telus.net.

Ruby M. Cusack is a genealogy buff living in Saint John. Send your queries to her at: rmcusack@nbnet.nb.ca. (Please put Yesteryear Families in the subject line.) Include your name and mailing address for the benefit of the readers of the newspaper, who do not have access to E-mail.  Queries should be kept to under 45 words.