by Lester Green, December 18, 2015
Bert and Dora (Cooper) King’s house. (Photo donated by Edith Norris.)
I was born on February 14, 1929 at Little Heart’s to Bartholemew and Adora (Cooper) King in area locally known as “up on the point.” I was the second youngest girl of eight children. I had four brothers and three sisters. My brothers were William Silas; William (Will) Thomas, who married Gladys Spurrell; Josiah Baxter (Bax), married Miriam Drodge; Azariah (Az) he married Emma Marion Baker. Now, my oldest sister, Martha Jane married Herb Meadus and moved to Loreburn; Lydia married Acquille Brown and moved to Northwest Brook; and Claribell who married Jonah Dodge. She was killed in a car accident in 1965.
My parents called me Edith Onslow King. My Mom often told me that I was named Edith Onslow after her brother George’s wife, Edith Onslow Adey. George and Edith lived in Dark Hole, what we would call Hillview today. My Aunt Edith was sick in the bed and she asked my Mom that if she ever had another girl, could she name it after her. That’s how I got my name.
My father was born in Loreburn to Joseph and Caroline Price. He had five other siblings, two brothers and two sisters. He grew up there until he was a young boy. But after his father died in 1894, he went to Little Heart’s Ease and lived with William and Mary Martin. After a few years he returned to Loreburn and married Mom. They had their first son, William Silas in Loreburn but he died just after he was born. So they decided to move to Little Heart’s Ease.
Dad came over and asked Uncle Sam Martin and his wife Lydia, brother of William, if he would sell them some land up on The Point. He sold my father some land that we still own today. He went back to Loreburn and took down his house and brought it over and built it on his new land. Now that’s how my family come to live up in the harbour.
Bert and Dora (Cooper) King
My mother was born to Israel and Heneritta Stoyles. She was born at Dark Hole in 1889. She had a brother named George and they grew up in Dark Hole. Now it’s called Hillview. She married Dad on March 21, 1912 at Northern Bights. They moved to Loreburn after they were married and lived there until William Silas died. When they moved to Little Heart’s Ease, they had seven more children.
Dad had other family members living in Little Heart’s Ease. He had his brother Jeremiah who married Eliza Jane Stacey and lived at Little Harbour. His sister, Dorcas, married John Samuel Peddle and lived up on the Lowerside. She died around the time that Dad got married. His brother Absalom, married Cecilia Jacobs and lived in Little Harbour. He was married three other after Cecilia died.
I married Ernest Norris of Little Harbour in April 1945 at United Church over on the Point. He was the son of Henry and Mary Norris. His mother was a Penney from Lower Deer Harbour. Henry was born here in Little Harbour to James Norris and Cassandra Brown. I don’t remember his Mother parents.
Growing up here I walked to the United Church by road, I walked by ice in the winter and sometimes we rowed across the harbour to get to church. We used to attend all the services. So I sometimes walked six times around the Harbour. I also went t school over on the Point, so I had to walk again.
When we left the house to go to school, we would walk in the Squid Hose, up over the Hill by Leo Shaw’s, down over the Chapel Hill and over the Flat. Then we cross the Bridge and by Peter Shaw’s we turn and walk out through the Bottom. Then we walked over Burnside Hills and down to the Church or to the school. We use to eat our dinner over on the Point. When we walked to school, I remember that there was four of us. My brother Az, Otto Martin and his older sister, Evelyn.
But first when I went to school I went to the Salvation Army, up on the hill. They used the Barracks as a school during the week. I remember lining up on the bridge, boys on one side the girls on the other when the bell was rung. Then the teacher would allow us to come in but we had to stay on different sides of the bridge. My mom wanted us to go to the Army school because it was closer for us. But I didn’t like it because we were “picked-on”. The Army children used to say “Go on to your own school” when they see us coming. That used to upset me, so Mom started letting us go to our own school. Today, you would call it “bullying” but it happened back then too.
We used to take our bookbag, our splits and our lunch every morning . Then we walked around the harbour. When you got over there you had to have your splits. I think sometimes that was more important than your lunch. We used to go to different people’s houses over on the Point for our lunch. I got to about Grade 4 or 5.
When I was dedicated to the church, there was fourteen of us. The minister baptised seven children the first time. Then he came back for another service and I was dedicated in the second service. That was around the time of the new church. Before that there was a Methodist Church just under the Hill that we use to call Bell Hill. So there was two church over on the Point and two schools. The first school was in the valley and it was one room school. That was the one I went too. Then they built a two room school.
I remember when I was around 12 years old, my brother Az and myself would take people over across to the Point. People would row- up from Ganny Cove and walk up to the house. Then they would ask Dad if he could take them across to the Point. Dad would get Az and myself to row them across to Albert Drodge’s wharf. They would be going out to House Cove to Uncle Ben Price’s store to buy different things like wallpaper or whatever. We would come back and wait on the wharf until someone would come out on the Drodge’s wharf and wave for us to come over and get them. Then we would jump in the punt and get them. I can’t remember if they gave us anything but maybe we got a candy. I still remember that.
When I married Ernie in 1945, we lived in Little Harbour. We had five children, three boys and two girls. We had a good life together. After Ernie’s dead in 2002, I continued to live in the second home we built. I am still here today, living on my own. I manage most all my family lives in the Garden and they are always dropping by and helping me out. I manages to get out and attend the Army now that the Pentecostal is gone. I goes to Home League, the Church services and anything that I hears that is going on.
This account is based on an interview conducted with Edith Norris on June 23, 2015.The writer can attest that Aunt Edith, at the age of 86, is still an active member of the community having seen her recently at two social events. She still maintains her own home and welcomes anyone who drops in. She loves to yarn about the past and won’t let you leave until you have a cup of tea/coffee.
Thanks Aunt Edith for sharing some of your thoughts with me. I am certain that your children, Grandchildren and Great-grandchildren will cherish the memories.