The Life and Times of Daddy and Mummy: 1903

1913 Daddy’s bio from a grandchild's grandparent book, scrapbooks, etc.

“In the early 1900's when most children had uncles or grandparents who owned a farm, they spent most of their vacations on a farm. I myself did this and was always thrilled with the horses, cows and chickens. I was usually on my uncle's farm during syrup-making time. We would 'tap' the trees so the sap would drip into attached pails through a small spout. Then began the process of boiling the sap until it became syrup. How good that fresh syrup tasted!”

“But in our own home in the village of Lanark, Ontario, we always had chickens (with their feathers on, of course!) a dog and several cats. Our house was primitive according to modern standards, but my memory brings back some beautiful features regarding our little house and my parents.”

Sunday School class - Cecil John is front row on the left


Another Sunday School class - Cecil John, 3rd row, second on the right		;

“My dad worked as a foreman in a woolen mill - about the most important means of employment in the village - and I used to meet him halfway home each evening. As he entered the house, he would immediately help himself to one or two of Mother's lovely cookies from a well-filled bowl on the kitchen table; also a rosy apple from an apple tree in our yard. (the dog would get a burnt cookie.)”

“Mother's day was spent mainly in the kitchen. There were always at least two kinds of pies and a delicious cake in view for lunch or supper. Each meal resembled today's Thanksgiving meal! It seemed that mother was always baking bread on the wood-burning stove, or making preserves, with plums, cherries, or strawberries. Then too, she spent many hours at her Singer sewing machine, with a Sears Roebuck label. And always there was washing to do in a large tub.”

“Our parlor was the most sacred place in the house. There was the piano in the corner, around which Dad would call all us six kids to sing hymns as he played - we did this every Sunday evening. Then there were the carved -wood chairs and all those little china things gathered through the years; also the large, framed picture of our own grandparents. Yet one other article stands out clearly in my mind - the large, tall writing desk, which was much more than that. At the top was a mirror set in an engraved frame, and below the desk (which folded up neatly) were several drawers. All of these drawers were unlocked except one. Dad himself wouldn't even mention what was in it. It was only after he died that we children, now adults, learned about the contents. Dad's Masonic material, including the Masonic pledge, apron and vital credentials for membership! For the very first time, we understood!”

“Pleasant memories remain of my childhood. Dad (Alexander) and Mother (Martha) did all in their power to make our home comfortable and happy, though still there was considerable quarreling among us kids. I recall that Mother often had distressing headaches. Dad was interested in curling.”

“After finishing Lanark High School, I took a linotype job in Toronto. ( Jan 1921, Noble Scott Ltd., Adelaide St. West, Toronto, then May 1922, Kilgour Bros., Wellington St. ) This was a distinct change from village life. Very weakly I yielded to some of the evils of city life - eg. gambling in pool halls. I used to lose almost all my salary each week and existed the entire week on a bowl of oatmeal each morning (5 or 10 cents).”

A comment from a letter to Anita Durham... "I remember Lisgar Street from my years in Toronto -- when I arrived in the big city as a hayseed from the village of Lanark. I began working in a printing firm (Noble Scott's) on Adelaide Street West --which as I now hazily recall isn't too far from Lisgar. I think I roomed on Lisgar Street for a time."

Daddy then heard of a strike in Stamford, Connecticut where the company was advertising for strikebreakers to work as printers. He entered the USA via Rouses Point, NY, Jan 3/1923. He arrived in Stamford, Conn. and worked at the Conde Nast Press, Greenwich Ct. until Nov 1923 and in Yale and Towne Mfg. Co from February 1924 until Sept. 1924. He spent a few months in New Rochelle, NY, working in a printing shop there; also a couple of months on a ship (Lighthouse Tender) out of New London, CT.

Daddy arrived in Boston (March 1926 – Sept 1936) where he took a job at Smith & Vial, Congress St., in Boston. At that time he changed his first name, Cecil, to " John" because he thought Cecil sound sissy. August 1927 he worked at Waldorf System Printing Dept., High Street, from June 1928 – Aug 1936. The great depression hit the USA during this time, but Daddy worked for a company (Waldorf?) that was involved with food vending machines which provided cheap food and did very well during those years, so his job was secure.

“I gave virtually no thought to things of the Spirit, but one Sunday morning I had an experience that changed my entire life. Observing a good number of young people entering the side door of Park Street Church (next to Boston Gardens), I joined the group -- and found myself in a young people's gospel meeting. A few months later I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus. Soon afterwards I was baptized.”

Park Street Church, Boston

Daddy doesn't mention this in his written remembrances, but the story he told us is that he continued to smoke after he was saved, until one day he saw a minister from Park Street Church come around the corner, and Daddy, guiltily threw his lit cigarette down. God convicted him that if he was not comfortable with the minister seeing him, he’d better not smoke. That was Daddy's last cigarette.

“In the course of time I felt guided to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago (1936-1937). There, mainly in prayer meetings, I met Eunice Scott, who was preparing to go to India for work with the Jews.”

Daddy realized that he needed college and theological school – in a hurry! He was 34 years old. In 1937 he headed for Dallas, where he went to Southern Methodist University and Dallas Theological Seminary (perhaps both at the same time?) and studied at Wheaton College, IL in the summers.

During Daddy’s study, he was in touch with friends from Moody who were going out as missionaries. One special friend was Eunice Scott! Eunice had received word from the Lord regarding “India-Jews-Buffam”, but the message hadn’t (yet) gotten to John! In 1938, Eunice was about to head by boat for Calcutta, India and wanted very much to see John before she left. (See details in Mummy’s letters.) Daddy writes: “On one occasion, Eunice visited me there-- the only time I had a "date" with her; she soon left for India.“

“In succeeding days I began to sense a drawing to India -- and to Eunice in terms of a life partner! Eventually I wrote to Eunice about this and enquired about her thoughts concerning our relationship. The answer reached me fairly soon, setting forth the ‘vocal’ answer from the Lord to her in Moody: ‘India-Jews-Buffam’.”

The story of how Daddy ‘proposed’ has become a family legend. Mummy in India eagerly read the letters from John to her ‘as a missionary’. The lady with whom Mummy lived described John as a ‘dry old stick’ because the letters were so totally unromantic. However Mummy treasured them, reading behind the lines. At one point, John asked Eunice if she thought they could ‘work together in India’ (!!) Not so romantic, but that was a proposal for marriage, and Eunice knew that it was. She responded by writing back (wish we had those letters) telling John of how the Lord had literally spoken to her in Moody with the words: India-Jews-Buffam.

Daddy prepared to join Mummy in India and also completed his studies. College and a Masters of Theology (?) were finished in 4 years—by 1941. Daddy recounted stories of how tense things were at that time. Once he was not sure that he would pass a critical test and friends were praying for him. One who got the news that he had passed ran to him shouting “John, you passed!”. He recalls some of his professors in Dallas Theological Seminary with great respect and fondness. (Interestingly, he appears to have graduated from Wheaton College in the summer of 1941, the same year he graduated from DTS!)

Since the groom-to-be could not spend time with his bride-to-be, he visited her family in Wisconsin. And he took Mummy’s sister Marjorie to Canada to meet his family.