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“Lest We Forget” January 20, 1913

Although in this entry, Clem did not put a “$” sign on the “windfall”, he did underscore the “30” which is how he usually wrote dollar amounts. The underscore won’t copy over to this post, but trust me….it’s there! And I can easily see how he meant to say he had $5.30 left for the…
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This post gets us up to date in “Lest We Forget”

Wooops! Missed the 17th because of the mix-up in the pages where Clem wrote his daily entry on the wrong page and…. Oh, never mind, it’s too hard to explian here… Here’s the entry for the 17th: Cullerne bill the outfit out and there was no trains west, so we stayed in car all day.…
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Ready….Set…Study!

Tomorrow is January 16, 2013. Not a particularly auspicious day, but it will be the first time I’ve been back in school in over 40 years! Well, saying that I’ll be “in school” is a stretch because in the 21st century you can be “in school” and in the living room at home at the…
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“Lest We Forget” January 16, 1913…Clem gets the days mixed up!

Here’s today’s entry: We did a little better today. Weather was a little warmer about 10⁰ below. Steve and I walked to Carval (?) left Stony Plain at 1 oclock and got back at 3.25 PM. 17 miles. Cullerne went to Edmonton in the afternoon. I wrote to Jim Fisher. [Note: At this point in…
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January 15, 1913 aboard the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway….

….or what would become the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway! Clem mentions “the car” which is, of course, the railcar where they lived throughout the construction project.  No mention of the temperature today, but it did snow.  So much for today’s weather report! Here’s today’s entry in “Lest We Forget”: Steve and I in the car…
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I’ve never said, “…a little warmer about 15 below…” !!!

Below is the diary entry for January 14, 1913. There are a few words on this page that I can’t figure out, but I’ve come as close as I can. For example, I don’t know what a “clavor” is or an “elavor” for that matter. If anyone out there knows, post a reply! For now,…
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Cold Snap Continues in “Lest We Forget” Saturday, January 11, 1913

The cold snap conitnues and yet Clem and Steve still made it “uptown” for some relaxation. Saturday, January 11, 1913: Same old story stayed in the car all day could not work as it was only 35 below.  We found it bad enough to go to our meals.  I had to get up at 5.30…
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Wilbraham Public Library: Full House for Session III

This was Session III of “Introduction to Genealogy and Family Research”.  This session was titled “Becoming a Genealogy Detective”.  Maybe that why so many people showed up!  This crowd was double the number of people who attended Session II last December.  We managed to get through all the material planned for the night.  Lots of…
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Clem Dickson Diary “Lest We Forget” Wednesday, January 8, 1913

Keep in mind that when my grandfather, Clem Dickson, wrote this diary 100 years ago, he was working on the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad in northwest Canada, a bitterly cold and primal wilderness .  He worked with the team that was responsible for construction westward from Winnipeg, Manitoba toward the team that began in Prince Rupert, British Columbia and…
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Introduction to Genealogy—Becoming a Genealogy Detective!

Anyone near Wilbraham, MA tonight is welcome to stop at the Wilbraham Public Library tonight.  It’s the 3rd in a 4 part series “Introduction to Genealogy”.  Each week there have been more and more participants so feel free to call the library at 413-596-6141 to make sure there’ll be room!  Based on the popularity, I…
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