Elizabeth Thompson Cooper Baldwin

BALDERSTON: Chester and Gertie from the book Parkbeg Reflections

(Chugg)

Submitted by Sim Young

Chester Balderston married Gertrude Chugg in about 1920. They worked for Otis Young when they were first married and were involved in breaking up and rocking off the NW 2-17-2 W3, a quarter Otis bought from Mr. Leonard Rowe of Mortlach. The shack which served as the Balderston's home was later moved up to Otis's homestead where it served as a hen house.

Gertie and Chester pulled up stakes and left for the States where they settled in Oregon. They returned in 1926 in a 1920 Dodge car. Chester filed on the SE 22-16-3 W3 in the Remount area that same year and the family returned to stay in 1927. He sold the car to Otis Young and summerfallowed the SW 26-18-3 for Otis to get some working capital. He used an old one furrow walking plow and wired on a

seat. Four horses supplied the power. By today's standard it was a crude looking outfit, but served the purpose. Chester must have done some breaking on his own homestead (in Remount) that same year. As Otis decided to spend the winter of 1927-28 in Nova Scotia, Chester and family moved in with the Youngs for the duration of Dad's visit in the East. Chester did the chores as Harve and I were still in school. Although the house was only 26 X 26 it served as living quarters for the two families. When spring came I think the Balderstons moved to the Max Meyers farm. From the Meyers farm, Balderstons must have moved to his homestead and he acquired more land. By now they had six children, Glen, Edith, Ella, Catherine, Dorothy and Cleon.

The Balderstons harvested their last crop in Remount in 1935. John Smith did the threshing, Chet and Gertie hauling the grain (three trips a day) to Parkbeg. Gertie also cooked for the threshers. Shortly after this they returned to the States where they were divorced. Chet

sold this land in 1937.

In 1946, Chester returned, and stayed on with Billy Cole. He purchased four quarters of land north of Mortlach and traded them to the R.M. of Wheatlands for the N'/2 and SE 9-17-2 W3 and the NW 10-17-2 W3. For the next few years he was involved in breaking and improving this section of land. He moved in the Scharf house and added on another part to make his first residence on what is known as the Gould farm

Today.

In 1954 Chet married the former Ruth Norman of Moose Jaw. He passed away about 1975. Mrs. Balderston survives and lives in Herbert, Saskatchewan.

Note: In the same history book, Prior to marrying Gertrude Chugg (Catherine Julia Thompson’s daughter) (Catherine Julia Thompson Chugg’s niece from Michigan) Elizabeth Thompson's husband David Cooper died of the flu. Elizabeth had one child, Keitha Baldwin with Jason Adam Baldwin who was 26 at the time and boarded with the David Clark family. Elizabeth died not too many years later. Keitha was adopted by the Shaffers north of Mortlach. It was thought that little Keitha passed away, but this turns out to not be the case. Gertrude Chugg and Elizabeth Cooper were cousins.

DAVID HELSON COOPER born in 1890 died Nov, 8, 1918 and buried in Mortlach cemetery. Age 28! David's grave is two rows south of Charles Chugg's grave in Mortlach Cemetery.

David and Elizabeth Thompson Cooper (niece to Catherine Julia Thompson) are listed in the 1916 census for Parkbeg (Swift Current census) at ages 26 and 25 respectively.

David died of the flu in November of 1918. By about 1920 Chester Balderston married Elizabeth’s cousin, Gertrude Chugg (Catherine Julia’s daughter). The young widow Elizabeth Thompson Cooper had a baby, Keitha Baldwin with Jason Adam Baldwin of Wakefield Quebec living with the Clarks in Parkbeg. Shortly thereafter Elizabeth Bible Thompson Baldwin died. So this would be about 1919 or 1920. Such a sad tragic life.

David Cooper was born in Michigan. Here is a registry of his family in Michigan:

David and Elizabeth Thompson Cooper had two other daughters who were parceled out to other families. I suspect it was because David was sick. While his death was claimed to be from the flu, given the large problem with TB, it could be that he had TB and that the children were removed from the home to protect them from getting TB. It could also be that Elizabeth Bible Thompson had TB.

Notes from Thelma Hartman:

"She married David Helson Cooper before 1916 (they are recorded as a married couple in the 1916 Prairie Province Census) and would have one daughter Florence Ellen Cooper in 1918 in Mortlach. David died on November 7 1918 of the flu and Catherine Julia was by his bedside as Elizabeth was pregnant with their second child. I have a copy of his will and his headstone.

After the death of her husband Elizabeth returned to Quebec where her second daughter was born on June 26 1919; this daughter was named Isabella Frances Helson Cooper. While in Quebec, Elizabeth would marry again to a Jason Baldwin on June 8 1920 in Masham. A daughter was born very soon after the marriage and she was named Keitha Mildred Baldwin.

Michael Chugg's notes on Jason Adam Baldwin:

Jason Baldwin is found as a laborer for James A Stevenson in the 1916 Census for Swift Current near the hamlet of Eyebrow, Saskatchewan. Eyebrow is north of Parkbeg and Mortlach.

Entire 1916 Census page for Eyebrow, Saskatchewan.

Jason was born in Masham Quebec and is buried close by in Wakefield in Halls Cemetery.

Death notice for Elizabeth Bible Thompson Cooper Baldwin in January 1921.

Shortly after the marriage Elizabeth and her second husband, Jason Adam Baldwin, returned to Mortlach and the Cooper homestead. Sadly, Elizabeth died Jan 18 1921 leaving her three very young daughters as orphans. Jason Adam Baldwin would return to Ottawa (leaving behind the three little girls one of whom was his daughter) where he would marry and raise another family, none of whom were aware of the birth of Keitha. A note here, Jason’s sister, Annie Baldwin would marry Elizabeth Thompson Cooper Baldwin’s brother, Edward Alonzo Thompson."

The girls were Florence and Helson Cooper. Helson attended the first school at Thistledown, near Chaplin, Sask. Quite close to Parkbeg. Helson married and is Helson Neufeld of Prince Alberta. Florence is Florence Latta of Nova Scotia.

A note about the photo above. The young man is not a Grandpa Thompson. He is the only man alive from this whole story who has access to Keitha Baldwin and possibly Florence and Helson. He could be a Cooper brother, a Thompson brother or Jason Adam Baldwin father of Keitha. The Baldwin family lived in the Waldensian Valley District and later, permanently in the Hazlet area. The grandmother in the photo could be the great grandmother of these children. She is Sarah Catherine Baldwin and is buried in the Cabri cemetery in Cabri, Saskatchewan. Because she is in this photo with Elizabeth Thompson Cooper Baldwin's daughter Keitha Baldwin, and because Keitha is part of the Thompson family, I will enter a number of documents relating to Keitha's great grandmother Catherine Baldwin. The documents follow:

Here is the grave plot map in Mortlach, Saskatchewan. The Baldwin in the plot with David Helson Cooper is probably Elizabeth Bible Thompson Cooper Baldwin.

Below: Helson Cooper is in first class at Thistledown School.

So Elizabeth Thompson must have died somewhere between age 26 and 29 and between the years 1919 and 1920.

In the image below we see that Keitha Baldwin was born in 1920 and died in Saskatoon Saskatchewan in 1962.

It appears that Sarah Catherine Baldwin is old enough to be Keitha's great grandmother and could be the great grandmother in the picture with the great granddaughters. Yvonne Baldwin could possibly be one of Keitha's sisters or could be a cousin. Keitha's husband is George Bate and Yvonne's husband is Larry Dillon.