Person:Rhoda Johnston (1)

The following is from the Johnston Family Tree^S2 -- pages 42 & 43:

Saw Mill And Hoop Factory, Kolapore, Ontario

By Rhoda J. McLellan Mar. 1969
The Kolapore sawmill and hoop and stave factory, owned and registered under the name Johnston, White and Company operated from 1890 to 1913. About twenty men were employed.

In winter, work began with the felling of the trees. Many beautiful big maples, rock elm, beech, birch and soft elm were cut. Two men on a crosscut saw felled the trees and the deeper the snow the higher the stumps were. The logs were hauled to the mill yard by horses and piled three logs high by men who were adept with cant-hooks. This was done when there was plenty of snow.

During the cutting season, April - July, hoops, staves and lumber were produced. The logs were moved to the gangway where machinery took them up into the sawmill. There, a large six foot circular saw reduced them to square timber, then cut into lumber. A quantity was cut, and by means of trolleys on the tramway, taken out and piled on either side of the long tramway for seasoning. When dried the lumber was placed on a wagon: rack and drawn by horses the eleven miles to Thornbury. The round trip required a whole day. The lumber was shipped by Grand Trunk railway to various places throughout the province. There was always a market.

The soft elm trees, from which the hoops and staves were cut, grew large, often 4 ft. in diameter, and many would cut three logs. These were hauled from the yard and taken into the mill where they were reduced to plank 9'x2". These were moved into vats, where they remained in live steam for thirty-six hours, before cutting into hoops., The steaming hot planks came in on rollers to the hoop cutting machine. This was a large heavy machine with a 9 ft. cutting blade, As the operator moved the plank forward, with the machine in action, the hoops dropped to metal arms on the other side. They then passed through several planing machines, the last of which was the pointer, from which they were placed in a boiling water vat before going through the coiler. There were ten hoops to a coil, the pointed end of the tenth was nailed, the coil was then released and it rolled out. These were taken by wagon loads to where they were piled in the best way to favour drying. When dry, they were tied with binder twine into bundles of five and stored in the cooperage stock shed. Hoops and staves moved out in time for the apple crop. The barrel headings were made in the Heathcote mill.

The last time I saw the old mill site (1968) there was nothing but some stones and masonry left where the boiler had been, the firm's office was gone, sawdust, which was spread evenly over quite an area, had returned to mother earth and looked like a meadow.

I fancy I smell the fresh cut sawdust and hear the whistle at 7 a.m. and again at 6 p.m.. Those were the days when men worked a ten hour day, 6 days a week. I think the men were paid $1.00 per day. Board was $10.00 per month. They were happy and spent the evening playing baseball or football and they did a great deal of bicycling. It was a quiet country life, our activities centered mostly around the church and school. The church is still being used for services. The school house is now used as a residence.

Martha White with daughter Myrtle (right) and granddaughter Rhoda (left)

Mac and Rhoda McLellan

Postcard message from Rhoda Johnston to her grandmother, Mrs. T. B. White. See Alex and Mabel Elliott family page for photo side of the postcard

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 copy by E.F. White, Jr. E.F. White, Jr. Copy of Rhoda Johnston's Records. (July 30, 1938)
   Page 3.

   Rhoda Blanche (Johnston) -- b. April 1, 1888, m. Chas. Fenwick McLellan, Dec. 26, 1916, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan;

2. ↑ Compiler: Ada J Flynn. Johnston Family Tree. (self published, Collingwood, ON, 1974, revised 1981)
   Page 13 & 13a.

   Registered Nurse.

3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Myrtle (White) Moffat. Family Tree of White Family copied by Myrtle (White) Moffat 1936. (Aug. 31, 1936)
   Page 4.

   Rhoda Blanche (Johnston), (born) April 1, 1888

4. ↑ ^4.0 4.1 John Johnston household, in Grey, Ontario, Canada. 1901 Census of Canada
   Page 8, 31 Mar 1901.

   ON GREY (East/Est) (#64) Subdistrict: Collingwood A-6

   19 66 Johnston John M Head M Dec 19 1847 57 Ont Irish Cana(dian) M(ethodist) Partner of Firm
   20 66 Johnston Frances E F Wife M Sep 12 1854 46 Ont English Cana(dian) M(ethodist)
   21 66 Johnston Myrtle S F Daughter S Aug 2 1879 21 Ont Irish Cana(dian) M(ethodist)
   22 66 Johnston Ethel G F Daughter S Feb 15 1883 18 Ont Irish Cana(dian) M(ethodist)
   23 66 Johnston Mabel M F Daughter S Nov 2 1885 15 Ont Irish Cana(dian) M(ethodist)
   24 66 Johnston Rhoda B F Daughter S Apr 1 1888 13 Ont Irish Cana(dian) M(ethodist)
   25 66 Johnston Robert H M Son S Dec 11 1880 10 Ont Irish Cana(dian) M(ethodist)
   26 66 Stoutenburg Caroline F Head W May 29 1818 83 Germany Cana(dian) Christina? None

5. ↑ Rhoda Blanch Johnston, in Ontario, Canada. Ontario Canada Births 1869-ongoing. (Toronto, Ontario: Archives of Ontario).

   Name: Rhoda Blanch Johnston
   Date of Birth: 1 Apr 1888
   Gender: Female
   Birth County: Grey
   Father's name: John Johnston
   Mother's name: Frances Elizabeth White
   Roll Number: MS929_93

6. ↑ Compiler: Ada J Flynn. Johnston Family Tree. (self published, Collingwood, ON, 1974, revised 1981)
   Page 13.

   Rhoda was a registered nurse.

7. ↑ Moffat, Rick. Moffat, Richard G. (Rick).

   I have several of Grandma Moffat's photos showing Rhoda in her nurse's uniform

8. ↑ Mountain View Cemetery and Crematorium, in Find A Grave.

   Rhoda Blanche McLellan

9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3} Death Registration, in British Columbia, Canada. Royal BC Museum Vital Records Collection
   1981.

   Death Registration Image - Rhoda Blanch McLellan

   Name: MCLELLAN, RHODA BLANCHE
   Gender: Female
   Age: 92
   Date: 1981/01/28
   Event Place: VANCOUVER
   Registration Number: 1981-09-002568
   Event Type:
   Death Vital Stat Images(s): 004479410_01931.jpg