Author: Keith Millard
Istead (& Highstead & Isted) Family Name Origins:
In medieval England, most citizens (excepting royalty) did not possess a family surname, but were simply known by their location or their profession, such as James the baker, or Robert the smith, or John of Highstead. Their children were known as Robert's son or the daughter of James, etc., and the vast majority of the population lived in tiny villages of 200 or fewer people. Everyone knew everyone else that was living there.
In the 14th Century, the Government of John of Gaunt introduced a poll tax on every citizen, and a surname was required to identify each person. Thus, Robert the baker became Robert Baker, and John of Highstead became John Highstead. Note that everyone living in the community, whether biologically connected or not, took the surname of Highstead. Almost everyone was unable to read or write and name spellings were totally at the whim of the clerk or parish priest, either of whom were often only semi-literate themselves, so the spelling of the names changed as time went on, mainly due to the phonetic sound of the names.
As an example, suppose William Highstead had three sons, William, Robert, and James; William Jr stays in Highstead and his children carry the name Highstead, Robert marries a girl from a nearby village and settles there and the priest enters his marriage name as Isted and his children carry the name Isted, and James also marries a girl from another village and settles there and the priest enters his marriage name as Istead and his children carry the name Istead.
The name Highstead has been seen to be recorded in small numbers in some ten counties of England and Northern Ireland, and this is an unusual surname. The International Genealogical Index "suggests" that it may be a form of Highstead, now a locality and formerly a village in the county of Kent, which if so, has been dialectically corrupted with this surname. However this is very possible particularly if as seems likely we are dealing with a "lost" medieval village surname. Highstead means "high farm" or literally a farm probably further up a hill or valley than Low or Lower farm. The surname was certainly recorded in Elizabethan times (1558 – 1603), with that of Richard Isted at the church of St Michael Bassishaw, in the city of London, on May 31st 1601.
The Gallery below shows the location of Highstead, Kent, from various perspectives, as well as the worldwide distribution of family name per million persons (in that country or region) for all three specific family names (Highstead, Istead, and Isted). Of particular interest for this essay is the name Istead, and in Ontario there are 101 Istead names per million population or about 1,000 named Istead, with the heaviest concentration being in Prince Edward County.
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
Istead (& Highstead & Isted) Family Name Origins:
In medieval England, most citizens (excepting royalty) did not possess a family surname, but were simply known by their location or their profession, such as James the baker, or Robert the smith, or John of Highstead. Their children were known as Robert's son or the daughter of James, etc., and the vast majority of the population lived in tiny villages of 200 or fewer people. Everyone knew everyone else that was living there.
In the 14th Century, the Government of John of Gaunt introduced a poll tax on every citizen, and a surname was required to identify each person. Thus, Robert the baker became Robert Baker, and John of Highstead became John Highstead. Note that everyone living in the community, whether biologically connected or not, took the surname of Highstead. Almost everyone was unable to read or write and name spellings were totally at the whim of the clerk or parish priest, either of whom were often only semi-literate themselves, so the spelling of the names changed as time went on, mainly due to the phonetic sound of the names.
As an example, suppose William Highstead had three sons, William, Robert, and James; William Jr stays in Highstead and his children carry the name Highstead, Robert marries a girl from a nearby village and settles there and the priest enters his marriage name as Isted and his children carry the name Isted, and James also marries a girl from another village and settles there and the priest enters his marriage name as Istead and his children carry the name Istead.
The name Highstead has been seen to be recorded in small numbers in some ten counties of England and Northern Ireland, and this is an unusual surname. The International Genealogical Index "suggests" that it may be a form of Highstead, now a locality and formerly a village in the county of Kent, which if so, has been dialectically corrupted with this surname. However this is very possible particularly if as seems likely we are dealing with a "lost" medieval village surname. Highstead means "high farm" or literally a farm probably further up a hill or valley than Low or Lower farm. The surname was certainly recorded in Elizabethan times (1558 – 1603), with that of Richard Isted at the church of St Michael Bassishaw, in the city of London, on May 31st 1601.
The Gallery below shows the location of Highstead, Kent, from various perspectives, as well as the worldwide distribution of family name per million persons (in that country or region) for all three specific family names (Highstead, Istead, and Isted). Of particular interest for this essay is the name Istead, and in Ontario there are 101 Istead names per million population or about 1,000 named Istead, with the heaviest concentration being in Prince Edward County.
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
The Prince Edward County Istead Ancestors:
The furthest proven ancestor of the Isteads in Prince Edward County, Ontario was a John Isted born about 1780, whose wife was named Sarah. Their birthplaces or marriage are unknown at this time, but their son, John, was born in 1800 in Hawkhurst, Kent.
Hawkhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. The parish lies to the south-east of Tunbridge Wells and Hawkhurst itself is virtually two villages. The older of the two consists mainly of cottages clustered around a large triangular green known as The Moor. Hawkhurst has over 1,000 years of recorded history. The oldest known settlement was the Saxon manor of Congehurst, which was burnt by the Danes in 893 AD. There is still a lane of this name to the east of the village. The name Hawkhurst is derived from Old English heafoc hyrst, meaning a wooded hill frequented by hawks - 'Hawk Wood'.
John Isted Jr married Philadelphia Pope on April 28, 1816 in the Hawkhurst parish church; John was a few weeks shy of his 16th birthday and Philly (as she was known) was 21. Their first son, John, was born in February 1817, and she and John had nine more children with the last one, Edward, born in Prince Edward County, Ontario in 1845.
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
The furthest proven ancestor of the Isteads in Prince Edward County, Ontario was a John Isted born about 1780, whose wife was named Sarah. Their birthplaces or marriage are unknown at this time, but their son, John, was born in 1800 in Hawkhurst, Kent.
Hawkhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. The parish lies to the south-east of Tunbridge Wells and Hawkhurst itself is virtually two villages. The older of the two consists mainly of cottages clustered around a large triangular green known as The Moor. Hawkhurst has over 1,000 years of recorded history. The oldest known settlement was the Saxon manor of Congehurst, which was burnt by the Danes in 893 AD. There is still a lane of this name to the east of the village. The name Hawkhurst is derived from Old English heafoc hyrst, meaning a wooded hill frequented by hawks - 'Hawk Wood'.
John Isted Jr married Philadelphia Pope on April 28, 1816 in the Hawkhurst parish church; John was a few weeks shy of his 16th birthday and Philly (as she was known) was 21. Their first son, John, was born in February 1817, and she and John had nine more children with the last one, Edward, born in Prince Edward County, Ontario in 1845.
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
Isteads in Prince Edward County:
John Isteed or Istead (names appeared either way in Census records indicating the early arrivals may have pronounced their name as “I-steed” rather than “I-sted”).
The John Istead family arrived in Canada from England in 1840 (according to Philly Isted Sinden's 1901 Census record) after daughter Philadelphia was born in 1837 (in Hawkhurst, Kent) and before the 1844 marriage of James Istead to Phebe Jane Henry (in Prince Edward County). John and Philadelphia were accompanied by their 7 living children (John b. 1817, Thomas b. 1820, James b. 1821, William b. 1825, Ellenor b. 1833, Samuel b. 1835, and Philadelphia b. 1837). Edward was born in 1845 in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
The 1851 Census finds the John Istead family and son James Istead's family living one property away from each other; a census record for son William is not available. They all started out in Hallowell Township and some later moved to Hillier Township, but in an 1866 Directory we find John Istead and sons Samuel and James living nearby, at the very north edge of Hallowell Township.
Samuel was the grandfather of Morley Burton Istead b. 1908, and John Washington Istead (Morley's father, was born on Dec 4th, 1884). In the 1911 Census, (John) Washington Istead, wife Maud, and son Morley were living with Samuel and Hannah on Lot 74b in Hallowell Township. On Oct 20, 1924 Maud died of TB while living in Allisonville, and was buried in the Bowerman cemetery nearby.
An interesting aspect of the Istead family is that there are no birth records for any of the children, they only appear in Census records, which may indicate belonging to a small Quaker settlement in Prince Edward County dating from the American Revolution. Along that vein, we know there were Mormons in England named Istead and in fact at least one (Jane Istead) was on the Mormon Pioneer Overland trek to Utah.
Another interesting aspect is that Ida May Istead, granddaughter of the John & Philadelphia Istead family that came to Prince Edward County, married Albert Istead the great grandson of John & Philadelphia Istead (Ida's father Samuel and Albert's grandfather Thomas were brothers).
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
John Isteed or Istead (names appeared either way in Census records indicating the early arrivals may have pronounced their name as “I-steed” rather than “I-sted”).
The John Istead family arrived in Canada from England in 1840 (according to Philly Isted Sinden's 1901 Census record) after daughter Philadelphia was born in 1837 (in Hawkhurst, Kent) and before the 1844 marriage of James Istead to Phebe Jane Henry (in Prince Edward County). John and Philadelphia were accompanied by their 7 living children (John b. 1817, Thomas b. 1820, James b. 1821, William b. 1825, Ellenor b. 1833, Samuel b. 1835, and Philadelphia b. 1837). Edward was born in 1845 in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
The 1851 Census finds the John Istead family and son James Istead's family living one property away from each other; a census record for son William is not available. They all started out in Hallowell Township and some later moved to Hillier Township, but in an 1866 Directory we find John Istead and sons Samuel and James living nearby, at the very north edge of Hallowell Township.
Samuel was the grandfather of Morley Burton Istead b. 1908, and John Washington Istead (Morley's father, was born on Dec 4th, 1884). In the 1911 Census, (John) Washington Istead, wife Maud, and son Morley were living with Samuel and Hannah on Lot 74b in Hallowell Township. On Oct 20, 1924 Maud died of TB while living in Allisonville, and was buried in the Bowerman cemetery nearby.
An interesting aspect of the Istead family is that there are no birth records for any of the children, they only appear in Census records, which may indicate belonging to a small Quaker settlement in Prince Edward County dating from the American Revolution. Along that vein, we know there were Mormons in England named Istead and in fact at least one (Jane Istead) was on the Mormon Pioneer Overland trek to Utah.
Another interesting aspect is that Ida May Istead, granddaughter of the John & Philadelphia Istead family that came to Prince Edward County, married Albert Istead the great grandson of John & Philadelphia Istead (Ida's father Samuel and Albert's grandfather Thomas were brothers).
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
The Kleinsteuber/Istead Connection:
Vera Florence Evalena Kleinsteuber was born in 1913 at the family log home in the German Settlement near Actinolite, and was the youngest child of Charles Eleazer Kleinsteuber and Mary Eliza Kenny. The story of her grandfather's immigration from Germany to Canada can be read at Pictorial Journey. Vera's family moved to West Lake in 1914, and Vera attended the one room West Lake school along with many Kleinsteuber cousins.
Vera Kleinsteuber married Morley Istead in January 1931 and they operated a farm and greenhouse business on County Road 1 just north of Bloomfield. They had four children who have prospered in the 'County'. They vacationed regularly in Florida. This family practised the Pentecostal faith and were very devout Christians. Vera and Morley died in 1987 within days of each other at the Picton Hospital.
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
Vera Florence Evalena Kleinsteuber was born in 1913 at the family log home in the German Settlement near Actinolite, and was the youngest child of Charles Eleazer Kleinsteuber and Mary Eliza Kenny. The story of her grandfather's immigration from Germany to Canada can be read at Pictorial Journey. Vera's family moved to West Lake in 1914, and Vera attended the one room West Lake school along with many Kleinsteuber cousins.
Vera Kleinsteuber married Morley Istead in January 1931 and they operated a farm and greenhouse business on County Road 1 just north of Bloomfield. They had four children who have prospered in the 'County'. They vacationed regularly in Florida. This family practised the Pentecostal faith and were very devout Christians. Vera and Morley died in 1987 within days of each other at the Picton Hospital.
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Family Memories & Stories of the Morley Istead & Vera Kleinsteuber family:
Note: Each story will be by a different author.
Note: Each story will be by a different author.
Oralee Istead Fagan's Family Memories:
Editor's Note: Vera Kleinsteuber was born in a log house in Elzevir Township in April of 1913. The family moved to West Lake, Prince Edward County in 1914, and her mother, Mary Eliza, died in March of 1924 while Vera was still in her 11th year. Vera's only sister, Jessica Pearl (Jessie) was born in 1893, married Walter Coulter in 1913, and was 31 years old when Mary Eliza died. Her only daughter had died before the age of 1.
Aunt Jessie and Uncle Walter Coulter; My Aunt Jessie and Uncle Walter raised my mother like their very own. My grandmother died when mom was very young. They were the nearest to grand parents I had, and they were great at it.
As a young girl growing up I had wonderful memories of Aunt Jessie and Uncle Walter, as a little girl till I was about 15. That is about when my Aunt Jessie passed. They worked for my mom and dad, Morley and Vera Istead, in the spring at the green houses. When school was out, they would take me home with them to West Lake for a few weeks every summer. Wow, that was fun! The house they lived in had a small cottage beside it. They rented it out, and Uncle Walter lived there when he sold the house after aunt Jessie passed.
First, Big Breakfast, then she took me for a morning swim, afternoon and evening too! She told me so many great stories. There was a big ice cream cone before bed. She would make them herself or we would walk a few blocks to buy one. Yummm, I still remember the taste! You know, the kind in the cardboard roll.
She was so busy canning, quilting, knitting, embroidering, crocheting, and cooking amazing food to tempt a skinny kid (me).
They had boarders in their lovely large sunroom. It even had two bedrooms. They rented their little cottage out too. Only after supper did they stop, well, except for a sort of lay down after lunch!
Aunt Jessie always had all the neighbourhood girls my age lined up and ready for lots of good times (tea parties, lots of swimming, stories, and walks), and oh yes, sleepovers!!!
Aunt Jessie and uncle Walt. Son and daughter in law Sherman and Mary Coulter, my cousins! Their boys, Wayne and Gary, were always around too, asked us out for boat rides and to play badminton (we usually just watched those cousins).
Uncle Walt was a great gardener. Cherry trees, pear trees, plum trees, strawberries, raspberry bushes, currant bushes,apple trees, tomatoes, cucumbers, and potatoes. I was a kid, but I remember everything was planted in straight lines, and No Weeds! He would sell all this fresh produce to the people in all the cottages around them at West Lake.
I almost forgot the fresh eggs!!! Those darn roosters at sunrise! They were the worst. LOL. They woke everyone up at sunrise... the cottagers were ready to kill them! And maybe my uncle too. LOL.
I suppose I should not tell this, but Uncle Walter gave the good bacon to the cats after he fried it up. That could cause some problems. Hahahaha! The cats needed a good treat too!
Uncle Walter always had a wonderful listening ear for a gabby girl who never quit talking!
Hard working , kind and neighbourly, they were people who had come through a lot of hardship.
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
Editor's Note: Vera Kleinsteuber was born in a log house in Elzevir Township in April of 1913. The family moved to West Lake, Prince Edward County in 1914, and her mother, Mary Eliza, died in March of 1924 while Vera was still in her 11th year. Vera's only sister, Jessica Pearl (Jessie) was born in 1893, married Walter Coulter in 1913, and was 31 years old when Mary Eliza died. Her only daughter had died before the age of 1.
Aunt Jessie and Uncle Walter Coulter; My Aunt Jessie and Uncle Walter raised my mother like their very own. My grandmother died when mom was very young. They were the nearest to grand parents I had, and they were great at it.
As a young girl growing up I had wonderful memories of Aunt Jessie and Uncle Walter, as a little girl till I was about 15. That is about when my Aunt Jessie passed. They worked for my mom and dad, Morley and Vera Istead, in the spring at the green houses. When school was out, they would take me home with them to West Lake for a few weeks every summer. Wow, that was fun! The house they lived in had a small cottage beside it. They rented it out, and Uncle Walter lived there when he sold the house after aunt Jessie passed.
First, Big Breakfast, then she took me for a morning swim, afternoon and evening too! She told me so many great stories. There was a big ice cream cone before bed. She would make them herself or we would walk a few blocks to buy one. Yummm, I still remember the taste! You know, the kind in the cardboard roll.
She was so busy canning, quilting, knitting, embroidering, crocheting, and cooking amazing food to tempt a skinny kid (me).
They had boarders in their lovely large sunroom. It even had two bedrooms. They rented their little cottage out too. Only after supper did they stop, well, except for a sort of lay down after lunch!
Aunt Jessie always had all the neighbourhood girls my age lined up and ready for lots of good times (tea parties, lots of swimming, stories, and walks), and oh yes, sleepovers!!!
Aunt Jessie and uncle Walt. Son and daughter in law Sherman and Mary Coulter, my cousins! Their boys, Wayne and Gary, were always around too, asked us out for boat rides and to play badminton (we usually just watched those cousins).
Uncle Walt was a great gardener. Cherry trees, pear trees, plum trees, strawberries, raspberry bushes, currant bushes,apple trees, tomatoes, cucumbers, and potatoes. I was a kid, but I remember everything was planted in straight lines, and No Weeds! He would sell all this fresh produce to the people in all the cottages around them at West Lake.
I almost forgot the fresh eggs!!! Those darn roosters at sunrise! They were the worst. LOL. They woke everyone up at sunrise... the cottagers were ready to kill them! And maybe my uncle too. LOL.
I suppose I should not tell this, but Uncle Walter gave the good bacon to the cats after he fried it up. That could cause some problems. Hahahaha! The cats needed a good treat too!
Uncle Walter always had a wonderful listening ear for a gabby girl who never quit talking!
Hard working , kind and neighbourly, they were people who had come through a lot of hardship.
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
My parents - Vera Kleinsteuber and Morley Istead; Vera Istead was the daughter of Charles Eleazer Kleinsteuber and Mary Elizabeth Kenny. Morley was the son of John Washington Istead and Maud McCullough. Morley and Vera had 4 children; Rosemarie, Roland (Roly), Pat, and me, Oralee.
Morley, Vera and the family moved to County Rd. # 1 Prince Edward County in the late 1930s. They moved in with my Aunt Maggie Cleave. They had raised my dad after his mom had passed, when he was very young. Maggie had just lost her husband, Albert, and asked my dad and mom and 3 kids (at that time) to move in and look after her, the farm, the cattle and horses (Ted and Queen).
My mom, Vera was busy looking after Aunt Maggie and the family. Mom took side jobs working in Baxter's Canning Factory, Lockyers Greenhouses, and sometimes at Maple Rest. Then I was born in 1950 and everything changed.
My dad Morley, worked the farm. Dairy cattle, till the 60s. Dad made the farm into a mainly vegetable farm and sold many kinds of seed and seedlings for transplant. Cash crops were a lot of work - corn, potatoes, tomatoes, everything you could grow to take to the market. He was the type of person who wanted every thing done right. He always told us "hard work never killed any one" and he sure worked very hard. He had a great humour, made us laugh a lot. He tried to convince us that a hard day of work made you feel Great!! Ha ha !
In the winter they brought logs out of the swamp. The winter because it was frozen. Loaded on sleighs. If I remember the stories , horses were used. In the 50s dad got a small World War II Bren Gun Carrier to bring the logs out of the swamp. Man that was fun! He would take wood orders, cut the wood up and deliver to customers. There were a lot of wood stoves and furnaces in those days.
Like I said 1950 changed everything. As well as me (the baby) coming along, Dad built his first greenhouse. This was a big thing. Family pitched in to help.
Mom was now at home working, with me and the greenhouses that was a full time job. Aunt Maggie was still with us, till about about 1958. Then my siblings were all getting married. Some of my nephews and nieces are pretty close to my age. This makes me feel pretty close to a lot of them.
In the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s there were a lot of grandchildren around working in the fields as well as the greenhouses and on Kingston Farmers Market . Alan, Karen, Gayle, Gary, Sandra, Wayne, Valerie, Peter, Mark, Sheryl, Dean, Wayde, Brian, Timmy, Sherry and me had lots of fun learning how to work!! These are the grandchildren!!!
I forgot to say, my sisters Rosemarie, Pat, and sister in law Pat worked for dad transplanting. Roly helped dad keep the boilers going. John (brother in law) did the snowplowing around greenhouses. George (brother in law) helped with the cattle when dad had to have a holiday! His first holiday was 1956!
Oh yes , there was my dad and moms siblings, uncle Walter and aunt Jessie, and uncle Henry and uncle Raymond.
Now that I am telling this story it sounds like a big operation.... and it was!
There were always grandchildren around staying overnight, we would go to Kingston the next day to help on the market. BUT, dad would bring out the ice cream before bed. You may remember those large containers from Willmonts Dairy in Kingston. I think we had a choice of about 4 kinds. THEN "Do you want chocolate syrup, corn syrup, nuts, rice crispies, ginger ale, or root beer on that?" Boy how did I ever stay so skinny those days?
Some days after picking up potatoes and picking tomatoes in AM and corn all afternoon, dad took us to the beach for a swim, before a huge supper!!
This days were filled with lots of work, and lots to laugh about. And lots of money in my pocket! After payday. For a while! Ha Ha!
Later in life mom and dad went to Florida for the winter. They sure loved that!
The first day of March every year, if not before, the boilers were started and the work year stated again !
Mom and Dad had a very strong work ethic, and strong faith in God. They were very caring and kind people who loved to have people in. Some times when I went home to visit I felt they had a revolving door. I guess with that much family so close ,it was a great way to live. They were a confidant to many people.
Dad did not slow till 1987. Mom passed Nov. 25, 18 days later Dad passed Dec 13, 1987.
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
Morley, Vera and the family moved to County Rd. # 1 Prince Edward County in the late 1930s. They moved in with my Aunt Maggie Cleave. They had raised my dad after his mom had passed, when he was very young. Maggie had just lost her husband, Albert, and asked my dad and mom and 3 kids (at that time) to move in and look after her, the farm, the cattle and horses (Ted and Queen).
My mom, Vera was busy looking after Aunt Maggie and the family. Mom took side jobs working in Baxter's Canning Factory, Lockyers Greenhouses, and sometimes at Maple Rest. Then I was born in 1950 and everything changed.
My dad Morley, worked the farm. Dairy cattle, till the 60s. Dad made the farm into a mainly vegetable farm and sold many kinds of seed and seedlings for transplant. Cash crops were a lot of work - corn, potatoes, tomatoes, everything you could grow to take to the market. He was the type of person who wanted every thing done right. He always told us "hard work never killed any one" and he sure worked very hard. He had a great humour, made us laugh a lot. He tried to convince us that a hard day of work made you feel Great!! Ha ha !
In the winter they brought logs out of the swamp. The winter because it was frozen. Loaded on sleighs. If I remember the stories , horses were used. In the 50s dad got a small World War II Bren Gun Carrier to bring the logs out of the swamp. Man that was fun! He would take wood orders, cut the wood up and deliver to customers. There were a lot of wood stoves and furnaces in those days.
Like I said 1950 changed everything. As well as me (the baby) coming along, Dad built his first greenhouse. This was a big thing. Family pitched in to help.
Mom was now at home working, with me and the greenhouses that was a full time job. Aunt Maggie was still with us, till about about 1958. Then my siblings were all getting married. Some of my nephews and nieces are pretty close to my age. This makes me feel pretty close to a lot of them.
In the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s there were a lot of grandchildren around working in the fields as well as the greenhouses and on Kingston Farmers Market . Alan, Karen, Gayle, Gary, Sandra, Wayne, Valerie, Peter, Mark, Sheryl, Dean, Wayde, Brian, Timmy, Sherry and me had lots of fun learning how to work!! These are the grandchildren!!!
I forgot to say, my sisters Rosemarie, Pat, and sister in law Pat worked for dad transplanting. Roly helped dad keep the boilers going. John (brother in law) did the snowplowing around greenhouses. George (brother in law) helped with the cattle when dad had to have a holiday! His first holiday was 1956!
Oh yes , there was my dad and moms siblings, uncle Walter and aunt Jessie, and uncle Henry and uncle Raymond.
Now that I am telling this story it sounds like a big operation.... and it was!
There were always grandchildren around staying overnight, we would go to Kingston the next day to help on the market. BUT, dad would bring out the ice cream before bed. You may remember those large containers from Willmonts Dairy in Kingston. I think we had a choice of about 4 kinds. THEN "Do you want chocolate syrup, corn syrup, nuts, rice crispies, ginger ale, or root beer on that?" Boy how did I ever stay so skinny those days?
Some days after picking up potatoes and picking tomatoes in AM and corn all afternoon, dad took us to the beach for a swim, before a huge supper!!
This days were filled with lots of work, and lots to laugh about. And lots of money in my pocket! After payday. For a while! Ha Ha!
Later in life mom and dad went to Florida for the winter. They sure loved that!
The first day of March every year, if not before, the boilers were started and the work year stated again !
Mom and Dad had a very strong work ethic, and strong faith in God. They were very caring and kind people who loved to have people in. Some times when I went home to visit I felt they had a revolving door. I guess with that much family so close ,it was a great way to live. They were a confidant to many people.
Dad did not slow till 1987. Mom passed Nov. 25, 18 days later Dad passed Dec 13, 1987.
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
Kathy Leavitt; Florida Memories
Florida, that’s where it all began, on that fateful trip at Christmas 1980. It was my first meeting with Morley and Vera Istead and even more important my first meeting with their grandson, now my husband of 31 years, Wayde Leavitt.
The trip to Christian Retreat in Bradenton, Florida was to visit my grandparents, Ben and Mary Herr. They had bought a duplex for their retirement years and were enjoying making new friends and the warmth of the Florida sun.
Wayde and I met at the cookie exchange party at the retreat and soon discovered that our grandparents were friends! We enjoyed playing many games of shuffle board with our grandfathers.
John and Rosemarie’s family had enjoyed many years of vacationing in Florida previously. While the Leavitts stayed at the Avalon Motel and a couple of blocks over Morley and Vera stayed at the Tides Inn on Stickney Point Road, aka Stinkey pot road, Sarasota. The kids liked to run back and forth between the two places and playing shuffleboard under the lights at night. Fun outings included trips to Cypress Gardens and Sunken Gardens and of course Siesta Key beach.
It wasn’t until 1981 that John Leavitt bought Mobile Home #14 at Christian Retreat. Morley and Vera usually left Ontario just before Halloween and returned home the first of March pulling their Holiday Rambler with their 1976 Chrysler New Yorker.
The year Wayde and I met, Wayde was camping in a tent behind Isteads Holiday Rambler. He purchased a surf board and spent time in the gulf whenever the surf was up!
Morley spent the winter months running a produce stand at the Retreat. Wayde enjoyed helping him, going along to Tampa to the wholesalers and purchasing fresh produce. Morley and Wayde would also pick produce at local farms, filling up the trunk of the Chrylser. Everyone knew Morley at the local farms and his friendly manner made him always a welcome sight. When oranges were in season Morley favoured the Honeybell variety. The proceeds from the produce stand went to Christian Retreat and the residents were able to have the convenience of buying fresh produce right on the retreat grounds.
Rosemarie enjoyed shopping for fabric and sewing on the machine she had at the mobile home. Everyone liked shopping at The Red Barn and the Palmetto flea markets. Many meals were enjoyed at restaurants; Tin Pan Alley, Duffs, Morrisons cafeteria, and the Golden Corral. Morley rode a beach bike around the retreat and Vera had an adult tricycle.
Wayde and I spent time getting to know each other visiting in Ontario, Pennsylvania and more time in Florida. The winter of 1982-83 Wayde lived at the mobile home at Christian Retreat and I lived with a girlfriend on Anna Maria Island. Wayde and I spent a lot of time together then and in September of 1983 we were married in Ontario. But that wasn’t the end of our Florida memories.
We spent another winter living in the mobile home and we each had jobs. Wayde working for Commercial Carrier Corporation and Kathy at Walgreens drugstore.
After our first daughter was born, the next generation had her first trip to Florida in 1992. The mobile home was sold in 1997.
However, our holidays continue in Florida. Last year I celebrated my 50th birthday along with Terry and Oralee Fagan, my aunt and uncle Lloyd and Faye Zimmerman, and my mother Arlene Orner. We rented a beach house together on Anna Maria Island. We had a wonderful time remembering the good times spent in Florida while making new memories, and even playing shuffle board with Morley’s pucks and sticks!
Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
Florida, that’s where it all began, on that fateful trip at Christmas 1980. It was my first meeting with Morley and Vera Istead and even more important my first meeting with their grandson, now my husband of 31 years, Wayde Leavitt.
The trip to Christian Retreat in Bradenton, Florida was to visit my grandparents, Ben and Mary Herr. They had bought a duplex for their retirement years and were enjoying making new friends and the warmth of the Florida sun.
Wayde and I met at the cookie exchange party at the retreat and soon discovered that our grandparents were friends! We enjoyed playing many games of shuffle board with our grandfathers.
John and Rosemarie’s family had enjoyed many years of vacationing in Florida previously. While the Leavitts stayed at the Avalon Motel and a couple of blocks over Morley and Vera stayed at the Tides Inn on Stickney Point Road, aka Stinkey pot road, Sarasota. The kids liked to run back and forth between the two places and playing shuffleboard under the lights at night. Fun outings included trips to Cypress Gardens and Sunken Gardens and of course Siesta Key beach.
It wasn’t until 1981 that John Leavitt bought Mobile Home #14 at Christian Retreat. Morley and Vera usually left Ontario just before Halloween and returned home the first of March pulling their Holiday Rambler with their 1976 Chrysler New Yorker.
The year Wayde and I met, Wayde was camping in a tent behind Isteads Holiday Rambler. He purchased a surf board and spent time in the gulf whenever the surf was up!
Morley spent the winter months running a produce stand at the Retreat. Wayde enjoyed helping him, going along to Tampa to the wholesalers and purchasing fresh produce. Morley and Wayde would also pick produce at local farms, filling up the trunk of the Chrylser. Everyone knew Morley at the local farms and his friendly manner made him always a welcome sight. When oranges were in season Morley favoured the Honeybell variety. The proceeds from the produce stand went to Christian Retreat and the residents were able to have the convenience of buying fresh produce right on the retreat grounds.
Rosemarie enjoyed shopping for fabric and sewing on the machine she had at the mobile home. Everyone liked shopping at The Red Barn and the Palmetto flea markets. Many meals were enjoyed at restaurants; Tin Pan Alley, Duffs, Morrisons cafeteria, and the Golden Corral. Morley rode a beach bike around the retreat and Vera had an adult tricycle.
Wayde and I spent time getting to know each other visiting in Ontario, Pennsylvania and more time in Florida. The winter of 1982-83 Wayde lived at the mobile home at Christian Retreat and I lived with a girlfriend on Anna Maria Island. Wayde and I spent a lot of time together then and in September of 1983 we were married in Ontario. But that wasn’t the end of our Florida memories.
We spent another winter living in the mobile home and we each had jobs. Wayde working for Commercial Carrier Corporation and Kathy at Walgreens drugstore.
After our first daughter was born, the next generation had her first trip to Florida in 1992. The mobile home was sold in 1997.
However, our holidays continue in Florida. Last year I celebrated my 50th birthday along with Terry and Oralee Fagan, my aunt and uncle Lloyd and Faye Zimmerman, and my mother Arlene Orner. We rented a beach house together on Anna Maria Island. We had a wonderful time remembering the good times spent in Florida while making new memories, and even playing shuffle board with Morley’s pucks and sticks!
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Keith Millard's Istead Memories; My memories of the Morley Istead and Vera Kleinsteuber family range from about 1950 to the early 1960s, I grew up at Maple Rest at West Lake about 7 miles from the Istead farm. As Oralee has stated in her Memories, farms were 24/7 operations with not much time for socializing with cousins or neighbours.
I vividly recall some of our visits with Uncle Morley and Aunt Vera, I remember gazing with awe at her front load washing machine with a window in it (we still had a wringer washer), I remember tearing through the winter woods with my grandfather and Uncle Morley in his World War II Bren Gun Carrier, I remember spending several days there while my dad helped build a new greenhouse, and I remember Uncle Morley bringing the ice cream out for dessert after one of Aunt Vera's dinners.
I remember the earthy smells of the greenhouse in spring while we chose tomato plants and other veggies to transplant into our garden. And I have fond memories of travelling to Buckshot Lake on a frosty fall morning with cousin Roly Istead circa 1957 or 1958, he was pulling a small house trailer to stay in for the deer hunt, and we had to stop on a dirt road to fix a loose trailer hitch.... but Roly came scrambling out from under the car because we had stopped directly under high tension power lines and the the air was just buzzing with static electricity. And I remember laughing until we cried with the story about Roly's black bear adventure.
All my Istead memories were good, the entire family were kind and loving with each other and with others.
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I vividly recall some of our visits with Uncle Morley and Aunt Vera, I remember gazing with awe at her front load washing machine with a window in it (we still had a wringer washer), I remember tearing through the winter woods with my grandfather and Uncle Morley in his World War II Bren Gun Carrier, I remember spending several days there while my dad helped build a new greenhouse, and I remember Uncle Morley bringing the ice cream out for dessert after one of Aunt Vera's dinners.
I remember the earthy smells of the greenhouse in spring while we chose tomato plants and other veggies to transplant into our garden. And I have fond memories of travelling to Buckshot Lake on a frosty fall morning with cousin Roly Istead circa 1957 or 1958, he was pulling a small house trailer to stay in for the deer hunt, and we had to stop on a dirt road to fix a loose trailer hitch.... but Roly came scrambling out from under the car because we had stopped directly under high tension power lines and the the air was just buzzing with static electricity. And I remember laughing until we cried with the story about Roly's black bear adventure.
All my Istead memories were good, the entire family were kind and loving with each other and with others.
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Julie Elliott Rogers - John and Rosemarie Leavitt Memories; My mom’s parents, Vera and Morley Istead, passed on when I was only four, so I don’t have many memories of them. That’s what makes this story so special.
So one night I had this really cool dream. I saw my grandmother (Vera Istead) through a window. She was healthy and young. Her skin was vibrant and she wasn’t wearing her glasses. She was smiling at me and behind her was a beautiful rainbow.
I was talking later to my mom, Oralee Fagan, (nee: Istead) and told her about the dream I had of my grandmother. She explained to me that when my grandmother was dying of cancer, I used to draw her pictures of rainbows to cheer her up. I don’t remember doing that as a little girl. This dream was a special gift from God. A precious memory that I hadn’t even remembered.
I also have some wonderful memories at my Aunt Rosemarie’s and Uncle John Leavitt’s house, where I spent the summers with my brother, Chris Elliott, and my cousins, Stephanie, Jeffery, David, Jessica, & Heather Leavitt. Aunt Rosemarie taught me to sew, knit, bake and make jam. I still make dishcloths, scarves and blankets to this day. Stephanie and I once made about 150 hunker dunker cookies in one day!
We were always outside playing on her huge property. She had the longest lane way, so we did all sorts of biking and road chalking. We also raked in seaweed at the dock, which we all thought was the greatest fun! We also fished and one time I had to have a fishing hook removed from my back. Uncle John worked hard so we didn't see him as often, but I do remember him making us laugh a lot. One time he let me ride in his excavator on his property.
Aunt Rosemarie was known for her great spread at meals. You always left fuller than you should. We would go up on weekends for breakfast, and we all couldn't wait, especially my Dad, Wayne Elliott. He loved Aunt Rosemarie's cooking more than all of us, which was a lot!
A tasty treat she made for us was homemade waffles, with blueberries and ice cream every morning in the summer. Also, you could have root beer floats and your fill of ham, cheese,pickles and beets, which was served with almost every meal. The thought of her homemade strawberry jam, still makes me drool. Nothing quite like it and trust me, you can’t buy that stuff in store, believe me, I’ve looked!
We also spent a lot of time at Kathy and Wayde Leavitt's, playing with Jessica and Heather. We played in their pool and with all their fun toys every few days! Cathy was always sweet and warm to us!
Although I wasn't Aunt Rosemarie's granddaughter, she treated me as one. And was always so good to me. I called her Grams, like all the other grandchildren. I always felt like she was my grandmother too. My dad's parents passed before I was born, but I never felt like I was without grandparents. I have only great memories of those summers.
-Julie Rogers (nee: Elliott)
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So one night I had this really cool dream. I saw my grandmother (Vera Istead) through a window. She was healthy and young. Her skin was vibrant and she wasn’t wearing her glasses. She was smiling at me and behind her was a beautiful rainbow.
I was talking later to my mom, Oralee Fagan, (nee: Istead) and told her about the dream I had of my grandmother. She explained to me that when my grandmother was dying of cancer, I used to draw her pictures of rainbows to cheer her up. I don’t remember doing that as a little girl. This dream was a special gift from God. A precious memory that I hadn’t even remembered.
I also have some wonderful memories at my Aunt Rosemarie’s and Uncle John Leavitt’s house, where I spent the summers with my brother, Chris Elliott, and my cousins, Stephanie, Jeffery, David, Jessica, & Heather Leavitt. Aunt Rosemarie taught me to sew, knit, bake and make jam. I still make dishcloths, scarves and blankets to this day. Stephanie and I once made about 150 hunker dunker cookies in one day!
We were always outside playing on her huge property. She had the longest lane way, so we did all sorts of biking and road chalking. We also raked in seaweed at the dock, which we all thought was the greatest fun! We also fished and one time I had to have a fishing hook removed from my back. Uncle John worked hard so we didn't see him as often, but I do remember him making us laugh a lot. One time he let me ride in his excavator on his property.
Aunt Rosemarie was known for her great spread at meals. You always left fuller than you should. We would go up on weekends for breakfast, and we all couldn't wait, especially my Dad, Wayne Elliott. He loved Aunt Rosemarie's cooking more than all of us, which was a lot!
A tasty treat she made for us was homemade waffles, with blueberries and ice cream every morning in the summer. Also, you could have root beer floats and your fill of ham, cheese,pickles and beets, which was served with almost every meal. The thought of her homemade strawberry jam, still makes me drool. Nothing quite like it and trust me, you can’t buy that stuff in store, believe me, I’ve looked!
We also spent a lot of time at Kathy and Wayde Leavitt's, playing with Jessica and Heather. We played in their pool and with all their fun toys every few days! Cathy was always sweet and warm to us!
Although I wasn't Aunt Rosemarie's granddaughter, she treated me as one. And was always so good to me. I called her Grams, like all the other grandchildren. I always felt like she was my grandmother too. My dad's parents passed before I was born, but I never felt like I was without grandparents. I have only great memories of those summers.
-Julie Rogers (nee: Elliott)
Click on photo(s) to enlarge, cursor over for caption:
