| Number 25 | February 1, 2003 |
2003 VERE BECK FAMILY REUNION
Northumberland Arena, Murray River, PEI, Canada July 10 - 13, 2003
By James V. Beck, (1.4.6.6.1) Okemos, MI, USA
For four decades we have been having Vere Beck Family Reunions
on PEI. Dr. Mac Beck, who died in Sept. 2002, has been the patriarch of the
family on the Island and the guiding light for these Reunions. They are
held every five years, those ending with a three or an eight.
Vere was born in
1783 in Crayford, Kent Co., England, emigrated to Prince Edward Island in 1813,
and died in 1878, at the age of 95. Hence this Reunion celebrates 220 years
after his birth, 190 years after coming to PEI and 125 years after his death.
A
very interesting program is planned this year under the leadership of Eileen
Tanner, who is a great-great-great-granddaughter of Vere. Activities are
planned from Thursday, July 10, through Sunday the 13th.
As has been the case for all recent Reunions, an updated book of a
listing of family members and another updated book of family biographies will be
available for sale. Family members are urged to send Jim Beck jamesverebeck@attbi.com
any updates or corrections they want included. Copies of the family newsletter, The Beck Bulletin, will also be available in book form.
You can register in advance or at the door, and details will be available later. The planning includes special events for young children.
The general outline of the program is given below:
July 10, 2003 Thursday: Family members are invited to meet for a lobster supper at the restaurant at New Glasgow, PEI at 6:00 pm.
July 11, 2003 Friday morning and afternoon: a. 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Open House at the Murray Harbour Community Center: Registration, Gathering Place and Refreshments, Sale of Beck Family Books, Tour Registration. Hosts/Hostesses include: Jim Beck, Ivan Munn and Sarah Jackson.
b. Family members can take tours: Log Cabin Museum, boat rides (Murray River), tour Cape Bear Lighthouse, tour area (wharfs, see original homestead, etc.), treasure hunt,...
7:00 pm Ceilidh. Friday evening at Northumberland Arena. Boyde Beck
(storyteller and historian), MC with assistance from Ron Harris. Suggested
donation is $5 per person 15 years old or older. All invited including local
residents and any visitors.
July 12, 2003. Saturday
9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Saturday morning at the Murray Harbour Community Center:
Registration: Open House, Gathering Place and Refreshments, Tours,..
1:00 - 3:00 pm Saturday at Northumberland Arena: Registration
opportunities for buying family history books, Beck Bulletin book, and recipe books; time to meet
different family members; display family photographs, memorabilia, crafts and
hobbies; tables to give more information and corrections.
3:00 - 4:15 pm Saturday afternoon main program: MC: Eileen Tanner.
Main speaker: Alan Windsor Beck from Virginia. (Alan is the descendant of
three "Vere Becks" but yet did not know until 1998 that he
had many living Beck relatives!)
4:30-5:30 pm Break and visit time. 5:30 to 7:00 pm Evening meal at Northumberland Hockey Arena: Potluck. Those who would prefer can give a donation.
7:00 pm Saturday evening concert at Northumberland Arena.
Christy Beck,
MC and organizer.
July 13, 2003: Sunday
10:30 am Sunday Morning Church Service at Northumberland Arena.
Organizers: Alan V. Beck and Ron Harris
1:30 pm Family members meet at North Rustico for a lobster supper. Details of the program will be spelled out in future newsletters. Questions can be directed to Jim Beck at the address above.
SALESMAN TO THE WORLD
They say the three main points to consider when buying real estate are location, location, location.
When it comes to selling real estate, George Jordan (1.4.9,10.4.) finds that location is not a problem. 
He lives at Beach Point and sells P.E.I. real estate to the world. He manages to do this by making full use of the Internet. George was quick to spot the advantages of using the World Wide Web to sell property, and has earned the designation of E-Agent through Royal LePage, one of the largest real estate companies in Canada.
Educated at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. George has worked as a fisherman, a school teacher, a computer technician, and a real estate agent. A few years ago he took a two-year course in Computer Engineering Technology at Holland College in Charlottetown. That gave him the background he needed to tackle the Royal LePage real estate internet course. There he learned about internet browsers, and how to build a web page and stake out his own space on the Web.
George says web pages are great because they are so flexible. "Change the HTML code, save it, and the
webpage instantly changes to reflect the changed code." After that it's a matter of attracting buyers.
George has submitted his page to the major search engines and ranks well with them. "When buyers from
anywhere in the world search for Prince Edward Island real estate, my page has a very good chance of being seen by them. Then they usually email me about the property they desire. I get a lot of email from buyers who have visited my website."
Some of those contacts have resulted in sales. "I've sold to customers from Cotuit, MA, Stanford, CT, and Phoenix, AZ, through contacts made on the
internet," George says. "The Internet is wonderful to have as another way to sell real estate."
George works out of the Peters & Lank Royal LePage office in Charlottetown. He spends a certain amount of time there taking his turn at designated office duty. "I also am scheduled from time to time at our
Kiosk at the Confederation Mall. This is a great place to showcase our listings and meet prospective buyers," George says.
His other "showcase" is on the Internet and you can see it at http://www3.pei.sympatico.ca/george
VOYAGE TO CAPE DESOLATION
It had all the drama of a movie script - A new captain with an unpleasant assignment to carry out a scientific survey in the 
Labrador Sea in December. David Munn, (1.4.2.2,2.2.1.) the first officer of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship, Hudson, was put in command and given the task of taking 11 Marine scientists to an area noted for its turbulent weather at that time of year.
David and his 30 officers and crew flew into St. John's, Nfld., to join the ship on Nov. 28, 2002, a snowy, blustery day.
Hudson is a 40-year-old oceanographic research ship that has conducted scientific operations all over the world, including circumnavigating North and South America.
“It was to be my first command so I was understandably anxious, although at the same time quite confident in my training and in the abilities of the officers and crew who would be sailing with me,” David said.
“The Chief Scientist was Erica Head. Her primary purpose was to observe zooplankton activity; secondary objectives were to monitor chemical and physical oceanographic characteristics. This was part of an international effort to monitor such activities in the Atlantic Ocean, and Canada's commitment was the Labrador Sea. We would also be placing a subsurface mooring on Makkovik Bank, just off the Labrador coast, that would monitor pack ice thickness over the winter months.”
After hurried preparations, Hudson sailed Nov. 29 under clear skies and it looked like a promising start to the cruise. An hour later the ship developed propulsion problems and was forced to limp back to port. Much to everyone's relief the engineers were able to repair the problem and the ship sailed again the next morning.
“I steamed at full speed all the next day to make up lost time and we placed the subsurface mooring without incident at Makkovik Bank late the next night,“ David said. The next morning they headed out to their first survey station on Hamilton Bank, and the next week passed uneventfully as Hudson steamed from station to station on the survey line, heading east towards Greenland. “The weather was remarkably good for the time of year and we were making tremendous progress,” David said. A UK survey ship working on the east side of Greenland was not so fortunate. She was being pounded by storm after storm, eventually losing expensive scientific equipment on the ocean floor, and suffering damage to her radars.
All the way to Cape Desolation on the Greenland coast the weather remained fair and this continued most of the way back. On Dec. 9th, David awoke to learn that storm, hurricane force wind, and freezing spray warnings had been issued for their area. It was decided to cancel the last station stop and make a run for the shelter of the Labrador Coast.
“By 2000 (8pm) we were in the lee of the Coast, but the winds were up to 40 to 50 knots and the temperature had dropped to –20C from the 0 we had been 
experiencing in the morning,” David said. The wind was no longer a problem, but the spray was freezing as soon as it touched the ship. Speed was reduced to minimize spray. “By 0500 we were approaching the Strait of Belle Isle, but winds were up to a steady 50 knots right in our teeth. We were forced to heave to, until mid morning when we were able to tuck in close under the shore of Belle Isle itself. “
Calculations placed the ice accumulation at close to 50 tons. 
David said this was well within the safety margin of the ship's stability, but it can make it extremely difficult to get around on deck. With speed reduced to bare steerageway all hands, including many volunteers from the scientific staff, turned to on deck to start removing ice. Using wooden mauls, shovels and a variety of pry bars and wedges, tons of ice were soon going over the side.
By noon of the 10th, the wind had moderated enough for the ship to get under way again. The remainder of the voyage was uneventful, and noon of the 12th saw the mooring lines going ashore at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, in Dartmouth, N.S., Hudson's home port.
David said, “My first command achieved all its goals without any serious mishaps, in an area of the world known to be extremely inhospitable at that time of year.” Anyone interested in a longer version of this story will find it here.
HORSEMAN WINS TROPHIES
Ralph Annear (1.11.6,4.1.) of Montague won two awards at the Atlantic Standardbred Breeders Banquet in Summerside in late January. He had the best horses in the two-year-old and three-year-old trotter categories in the Maritimes in 2002. Ralph was pleased with the outcome saying, "We've been very lucky over the last few years. We don't have as good luck every year." He still drives the horses himself, but adds, "I don't know if I should be doing it anymore."
The fillies won the awards for their performances at six race tracks in the Maritimes. They receive points based on how they finish and the horses with the most points at the end of the season win.
Ralph has been breeding and training horses for 40 years and said he usually sells them when they're three years old to other racing stables. "There's more of a challenge to racing colts," he told The Eastern Graphic. "You break them in and race them as babies. I'd rather do that than race horses."
This was not the only recognition Ralph earned in the past year. Maple Leaf Hawk, a six-year-old horse co-owned with Billy Hicken, set the track record in Charlottetown in October.
THE BOYS OF WINTER
Thatcher Bell (1.4.6.5,3.6,3) of Guernsey Cove is having his best season ever in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. After suffering injuries in the past two seasons with Rimouski, he was traded to the Halifax Mooseheads in time for this season. Thatcher is second in scoring for the Mooseheads with 27 goals and 34 assists in 44 games. He missed the first seven games of the season because he was attending the Detroit Red Wings Training camp.
John Moore, the man who broadcasts the Moosehead games and a hockey columnist, rates Thatcher as the fourth best Maritimer in the League. In a column on January 31st, he described Thatcher as, "extremely gifted offensively. Has excellent hockey sense with a creative flair and has a reputation for scoring clutch goals. If not for inconsistent stretches this season, this Vancouver Canucks draft pick would have been ranked higher."
Danny Stewart (1.4.6.5,1.2A,1.1) of Murray Harbour is also doing well in the Quebec League. Danny plays for Rimouski and although only 17 is third in points on the team. He has 14 goals and 20 assists in 52 games. Back in early December Danny scored three goals in one game for his first hat trick in major junior hockey.
JUNIOR "A" TEAM READY FOR TITLE RUN
It went right down to the wire, but the Charlottetown Junior Abbies strengthened their lineup with the addition of three new players. The general manager, Rory Beck, (1.4.3B.7.3.5.) pulled off the deals just before the Jan. 10 trading deadline.
In an interview with Don Morrison of The Guardian, Rory said the team needed to strengthen its offence. "Even though we are a strong first-place team, we're still middle of the pack in terms of goals for. We needed to add some scoring, that was our priority."
They think they've found that in forwards Joel Petkoff and Francis Walker.
Blue line strength was added with defenceman Steve Holland, who cleared Quebec Major Junior Hockey League waivers just two hours before the deadline.
There was a lot of last minute pressure, but it's hard to avoid it.
"At the end of the day, to make a deal, it takes two teams," said Rory. "A lot of teams won't make a move until the end."
Charlottetown plays host to the national Junior A championships this year, and the Abbies are hoping to capture the Royal Bank Cup. It's now up to coach Jeff Squires to mold his players into a championship squad.
NEWS FROM HOME
I've just received a letter from my grandmother, Catherine Flora (Beck) Munn, (1.4.2.2,). Perhaps that doesn't sound very exciting, but my grandmother died in 1912 and the letter took 90 years to get here. Don't blame the Post Office as this letter was not meant for me. It was written to her younger sister, Lillian, in Boston. Grandma, or Cassie as she was known, died about a month after the letter was written and it was kept by Lille until she was an old lady, and then it was passed to other close relatives and eventually a copy arrived in my mailbox.
The four-page letter is written on lined 5x8 inch sheets and is packed with news that is still interesting today. It's dated Mar 10, 1912, and Grandma starts with an apology for not answering sooner. She has been sick with the "grippe" or the 'flu as we would say. She hasn't been able to shake it all winter and has fallen behind in her house work and can't seem to catch up. Everybody seems to have it. She mentions that their brother, Hubert, is sick and his wife, Bessie, has it too.
However, there is some good news. "The long looked for stranger," has arrived at their brother John's house. It was a boy and a check of the Beck listings shows that this was Benjamin J. Beck, (1.4.2.3.6.) born 2 days earlier on Mar 8, 1912. Grandma says she was there the night he was born, and the mother, Annie, was feeling pretty good when she left, but she has had no word since. She tells Lille that their mother, Mary, is at John's helping out.
Their father, Ben, is at home alone in White Sands and he is not well and Dr. Brehaut has been out to see him. Their father is 65 and Grandma expresses concern that he may be nearing the end. She was wrong about that as he lived another 11 years. She also mentions that "Uncle Vere" (Beck) in Alliston is not well either, and is being tended by Dr. Barnes.
She adds that a couple of weddings have taken place recently and revival meetings are being held in the Churches of Christ in the area. She says that Mr. Leard, "a splendid preacher" baptized 26 in Montague, held a meeting in the public hall in Murray River and will be at the church in Murray Harbour for two weeks.
Grandma mentions that her cow has died. "Poor old Daisy has been miserable all winter, but we nursed her well and she calved on the 2nd of March." Fortunately they have another cow to supply milk for the family and the new calf.
The letter was written on a Sunday and in my mind's eye I see her sitting at the kitchen table in the same home where I grew up in Murray River. She mentions there is a bad snow storm raging, "as bad a storm as there has been this winter."
Unfortunately Grandma was not able to shake the grippe and it developed into pneumonia. She died five weeks later, on April 15, 1912 at the age of 37.
DEATHS
Merrill Boyd Herring died peacefully at his home in Roseneath, P.E.I., on January 9, 2003, at the age of 64. He was the husband of Doris (MacDonald) (1.4.3A.3.2,4,) and father of Devon, Roseneath, and Dale of Calgary. Merrill had worked for CN Marine, and had been a captain on the Borden to Cape Tormentine Ferry Service. The funeral was held from Ferguson's Funeral Home Chapel in Montague with interment in the Brudenell Cemetery.
Clara May (White) Jordan (1.4.9,10.) of Beach Point died December 10, 2002, at the Dr. John Gillis Memorial Lodge in Eldon at the age of 92. She was the wife of the late William C. Jordan, and mother of Ada (John) MacKenzie; Marion (Roy) Stewart; Wallace (Sandra) Jordan; and George (Carol) Jordan, all of Beach Point. Clara is also survived by 11 grandchildren, and two sisters and two brothers. The funeral was held from Ferguson's Funeral Home in Montague with interment in the Beach Point Cemetery.
BIOGRAPHY
Reuben Willard Penny (1.5,4.2) was born December 14, 1872, the son of Vere Beck 
Penny and Mary Ellen Cahoon. Rueben made his living as a seaman and eventually was captain of his own schooner.
In 1895 he married Laura Cecilia Nicolle, the daughter of John Thomas Nicolle and Elizabeth Horton Clements of White Sands. Their first child, Alonzo Willard Penny was born Sept. 5, 1895. Their second child, another boy, was born almost exactly one year later, on Sept 4, 1896. Laura died 16 days later, on Sept. 20, 1896, leaving Reuben with two infants. Laura's family came to his aid and took care of the children. The youngest child only lived three months and died on Dec. 10, 1896 but Alonzo was raised by the Nicolles.
Reuben married his second wife, Elizabeth White, two years later on Dec. 24, 1898. She was the daughter of Joseph White and LaVinia Weatherbie. Reuben and Elizabeth had 11 children, 8 girls and three boys.
Linda Penny, his granddaughter, said Reuben sailed regularly from Murray Harbour to Nova Scotia with cargoes of potatoes and vegetables, returning with coal. In the spring he often sailed to the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence returning with herring for bait for the lobster fishermen.
Two of the schooners he owned are listed in Whitman Daly's history of Murray Harbour. The list was compiled by Capt. Percy White and mentions Reuben as the owner of the Julia A. and the Minnie Laura. It's interesting to note that Byron Burns, in his recollections of Murray Harbour, mentions that Reuben's father-in-law, Joseph White, owned the Minnie Laura before Reuben.
In 1917, Reuben took his 14-year-old son, Garnet, with him on the schooner. This was at the height of the First World War and manpower would be scarce at that time. Rueben's oldest son, Alonzo, was one of the young men who had enlisted and gone to war. Linda said her father, Garnet, spent the next 10 years sailing with her grandfather.
Sheldon Bell, another grand child, remembers Reuben as a jovial man. He spent a lot of time with his Penny grandparents when he was young and said that Reuben had a woodworking shop where he built dories, probably for sale to local fishermen. He said his grandfather was always good to him and so he liked to spend time there. Sheldon referred to his parents by their first names, but called his grandparents "Mom" and "Pop." They lived in a big house at the south end of the bridge in Murray Harbour.
There was a suggestion that Reuben liked to brag a little bit. Linda said she first heard of this while working at the Montague Hospital. Lee Nicolle of Murray River was a patient there and while talking with Linda asked her who her father was. She told him and he said, "Oh your grandfather would be Reuben Penny. I remember him. He was quite a blowhard," or braggart as we might say. Unfortunately Lee did not give her any examples of what he meant.
Rueben appears to have abandoned the sea by the 1930s as Sheldon has no memories of ever being on his schooner. It's possible that he was earning his living as a carpenter by that time.
Reuben died of cancer in 1939 at the age of 67 and is buried in the Murray Harbour Cemetery.
VOLUNTEERS HONOURED
Donna Beck (1.4.3B.7.3.1.) was among 20 volunteers recognized for their hard work during a dinner at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown in December. Donna was one of eight women who had put in more than 500 hours each. Some of the others were long-time volunteers who had recorded up to 5,000 hours. They run the Royal Pantry and Lillibets, two shops operated by the Women's Auxiliary of the hospital.
In 2002 the organization raised $172,000 for the purchase of equipment for the hospital. The president of the Auxiliary, Jennifer Darby, said, "Without the volunteers, we wouldn't have been able to do it. That's why they're such an important part of the organization."
WHO ARE THEY?
In our ongoing effort to collect family pictures, we sometimes come across photos we can't identify. We plan to add an area to our home page where these photos can be viewed by visitors, and perhaps someone will recognize some of them. We start with a couple of submissions from Sarah Jackson. See if you recognize anyone. Photos
SAFECRACKERS HIT RINK
Thieves broke in and made off with a substantial amount of cash from the Northumberland Arena in Murray River, PEI, site of the Beck Family Reunions. The break took place overnight on Dec. 28, 2002, just after the conclusion of one of the biggest events of the year at the rink. Officials estimated the loss at nearly $6,000, and described it as a severe blow to the facility. The money came from activities connected with the Stanley White Memorial recreational hockey tournament, and the 12 teams involved. Carol White, president of the board of directors, said the rink depends heavily on the proceeds from two major hockey tournaments. She added that there is no way to make up the loss because ice times and commitments are in place for the rest of the season.
GENEALOGY CENTRE PLANNED
Genealogy researchers could soon find it easier to get information in Canada.
The federal government is considering creating a one-stop Internet site to help Canadians trace their family trees.
A poll conducted for the government indicates that 50% of Canadians are interested in researching their ancestors. The poll was conducted as the National Archives moves toward the creation of the Canadian Genealogy Centre, a Web page that will offer services, advice and research tools for genealogists and the general public.
The Vere Beck Family Home Page
We're always looking for news of Beck family members. If you know of any significant events drop me a line with the information. imunn@accesswave.ca
imunn@accesswave.ca