Editorially speaking…
I begin with a belated apology to fellow online columnist Larry Pynn—note the spelling, two ‘n’s,’ not an ‘m’ as I have a bad habit of writing it—most recently in a Chronicles editorial a few weeks ago. Sorry, Larry!
He can be found, by the way, at his fellow Cowichan Valley website, www.sixmountains.ca.
* * * * *
One of the occupational hazards of being a writer of history is that some people come to believe that I actually know what I’m writing/talking about and they seek me out for answers to questions or for more information.
Sometimes, I do have an answer for them, from off the top of my head or from my files. But sometimes, too, I’m stumped. Most recently, Duncan librarian Marina emailed to ask about one Oliver Pike at the behest of a VIPL user.
Caleb who, you ask? So did I.
She wasn’t able to give me much to go on beyond describing Pike as “a character in your books...who it sounds like may have been a real person”. But the requester couldn’t remember in which of my 34 books he’d read about Oliver. He and Marina thought it likely that I’d done so in Capital Characters: A Celebration of Victorian Eccentrics.
A likely surmise.
Quite simply, I can’t remember Oliver Pike and a scan of Capital Characters came up empty. For Pike to rate a hard-copy file folder in my archives, or a digital folder on my computer, I’d have had to write about him at some length, not simply mentioned him in passing.
The bottom line was, I couldn’t help Marina nor the person who made the request, sorry to say. As admitted above, this does happen, folks. My mind works like the old Rolodex card file rather than as an encyclopedia. In other words, I remember—if I remember anything of a given subject—the key words rather than the details.
I rely upon my massive personal archives to do that.
In this case, I did have key words—Oliver Pike. But, for my archives to work, he has to have starred in one of the 1000’s of stories/columns/articles/posts that I’ve written over the decades, not just be, as they say in the movies, a walk-on.
But do keep those cards and letters coming, readers! You never know, you may get lucky and I’ll have an answer for you.
* * * * *
As I was able to do for a man who wanted more information on his uncle. Prompted by my Facebook post of a logging scene, he reminded me of a column I’d written in the Cowichan Valley Citizen in 2017.
Facebook posts such as this logging scene can inspire fascinating comment. —Vancouver City Archives
He was mostly right: yes, the Cowichan Chronicles of that date was about the Mayea family but I didn’t write it—Len Mayea did.
I’d edited it and let Mr. Mayea piggyback as a ‘guest columnist’.
No matter; what counted was that, with solid direction, I was able to pull this file from my computer—thank God and Google for reliable backups—and send the column along. For those Chronicles readers who didn’t see it seven years ago, here it is:
MAYEA FAMILY MADE THEIR MARK ON VALLEY HISTORY
Today's Chronicle is courtesy of reader Len Mayea.
Looking through your book, Tales the Tombstones Tell, I came across my cousin's name, Ernest Francis (Frankie) Mayea, p. 57, and thought you might be interested in some info about him as well as a couple of other people you mention in your book.
As you can see from the dates on his headstone (1940-1942), Frankie was only two when he died. I was born a few months after his death so don't have any recollection of him but my Mum told me about how he died. She said he and a 13-year-old mentally challenged boy were playing in a sandbox when for some reason, the older boy hit Frankie on the head with a hammer and killed him. He had been named after his father, Ernest (my Uncle Ernie) and my Grandfather, Francis Xavier (Frank) Mayea.
My Grandfather came to Duncan in 1908 with his wife, Sofia, and his two sons, Albert and Walter (my Dad) and at first stayed with his Uncle Abe until he built a house on Second Street which is still there today. He was a master carpenter and helped build several buildings such as Providence Farm and Queen Margaret's Chapel.
He also built the school's swimming pool and is mentioned in a book about QMS but his name is spelled Mayer which is how it once was spelled many years ago. (It's a French Canadian name and was pronounced Ma- yea so thus the change in spelling when it was Anglicized.)
I was told by my Dad that my Grandfather made some of the early headstones at St. Ann's Catholic Church. He made them out of cement and would write an inscription on galvanized tin, place it in the cement and put glass over it. Unfortunately, over the years the glass might break or water get behind it and then the tin would rust. This is what happened to my Grandma Mayea's headstone. Many years ago I could read the inscription but now the tin is so badly rusted I can't read it at all. She died in childbirth and was buried in January 1921.
My Grandfather obviously had a lot of affection for her because he made a beautiful grave which is now in poor condition—I think it has been damaged by age and the soil settling rather than vandalism. He also built a headstone for his Uncle Abe who was buried on May 3, 1919 not far from my grandmother's grave.
I understand Abe came to the Cowichan Valley from near Ottawa about 1890 because of his expertise in taking logs down a river. He went to Lake Cowichan and helped organize the log drives down the river to the mill at Genoa Bay. Abe is mentioned in John Saywell's [book] Kaatza: “The first trip down the Cowichan River was reported as being made in 1893 by a French Canadian, Abraham Mayea, 'Big Abe,' Feb. 1, 1894.” Abe is also mentioned in the Feb. 1, 1894 Colonist...
He later owned the Riverside Hotel...and when my grandparents came to Duncan in 1908, he was living near the end of Marchmont Rd. where my Dad said he owned 50 acres. Another interesting story my Dad told about his great-uncle was that Abe once fought John L. Sullivan. I don't know the outcome of the fight but as Sullivan was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world I must assume Abe came out second best.
My Dad also told me the pews in both the Chapel at Providence Farm and in St. Ann's Church were made by my Grandfather. However, I do not know if those being used today are his or if they have been replaced with newer ones.
On page 226 of your book you mentioned Col. Dopping-Heppenstal and you might be interested in my Aunt's connection to him. Some time in the 1930s my Aunt Dorothy Lloyd was hired by the Colonel to look after his niece. (My Aunt later married Charles Jordan and lived on Jordan's Lane. Both of them are buried in St. Peter's along with their son, David.) I understand that a relative (I believe it was the Colonel's nephew) and his wife were going through a messy divorce and it was felt that someone might try to kidnap their daughter who was living with the Colonel.
Therefore, my Aunt was hired to look after her. She would walk with the girl along Stamps Road in the mornings to the bus stop and then in the afternoon, she would meet the bus.
I can remember my Aunt telling me that on a Sunday afternoon she sometimes would have to walk from her parents' home on Grieve Rd. all the way to the Colonel's, which was quite a hike. I don't know how long Aunty Dorothy had the job but in a rather ironical twist, many years later, this girl (now an adult) ended up being murdered.
I found the headstone [photographs] by Eric Marshall [www.canadianheadstones.com] very helpful. I hadn't realized Frankie had a headstone so was pleased I was able to see it. Eric also had taken a picture of [Frankie's] Mother's headstone which I had never seen before. My Aunty Dorothy Mayea is buried with her mother and sisters in the Chemainus cemetery. In 1964 she was working in the Duncan post office when she suddenly collapsed and died from a brain aneurysm. She was only 54.
I hope you find this information interesting. Cheers, Len Mayea.
I thanked Len Mayea then, I thank him now, and I’m pleased that, this time, I was able to fulfill a reader’s request.