From The Somewhere

Frederick D. Baragar's Letters Home, 1914-1919 Frederick D. Baragar fonds, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections

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Fred & Edith’s 100th Wedding Anniversary

Today, to celebrate New Year’s Eve, we have the opportunity to share something very special. It’s the one hundredth wedding anniversary of Edith and Fred Baragar! The wedding announcement card above (from Edith’s parents) is a blank one contained in the University of Manitoba’s Frederick D. Baragar fonds.

We have spent over five years documenting Fred’s First World War story, and a large portion of that has been the story of Fred and Edith, from their engagement on the last day they saw each other before Fred left for war, to the ring he sent for her during Christmas 1915, the declaration that they could plan their wedding after the 1918 armistice, to their reunion in April 1919.

Their wedding announcement appeared in the Winnipeg newspapers on 3 January 1920. The following article is the clipping from page 19 of the Jan. 3rd Winnipeg Evening Tribune.  

Wishing a very happy New Year to each and every one of you!

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We know things have been quiet here lately as this project has been winding down, but we wanted to take a moment thank everyone for following Fred Baragar’s story along with us over the past 5 years.

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season!

- Tyyne and Andrea

Image from the Winnipeg Tribune Photo Collection, University of Manitoba Archives Special Collections, PC 18 [folder and item number unknown]

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24 December 1919 - The “Merriest” Christmas

In their 1919 Christmas Eve issue the Winnipeg Tribune declared the upcomig Christmas holiday to be the “merriest ever”.

“With the greater portion of the earth at peace and in the spirit of good-will over all, Winnipeg made final preparations, today, for the celebration of the merriest Christmas it has known in several decades.”

Just thirteen months since the armistice was signed, putting an end to the fighting, Canada was still recovering from the First World War. 1919 marked the first Christmas since the start of the war where "virtually all” the men who served had returned home. The Tribune also gave a nod to the 1919 general strike, reminding readers “the industrial peace of the city holds whole for the time being, at least. There are no strikes to mar the delight of a re-united Christmas”.

Holiday festivities were organized by the YMCA, YWCA, and local hotels; theatres were open, “offering special attractions”; curling and skating rinks were open for public use; and outdoor activities like “tobogganing, snowshoeing, [and] hockey” were encouraged

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Prairie Road Trip - Elmwood Cemetery

One of our last stops on our Manitoba road trip was to Winnipeg’s Elmwood Cemetery. The Elmwood Cemetery opened in 1902, the first non-denominational cemetery in Manitoba. As of today, Fred and Edith appear to be the only Baragars interred at Elmwood.

Fred and Edith Baragar were buried at under a joint headstone, Fred in 1964, and Edith 24 years later in 1988.

Fred Baragar passed away on 3 October 1964 in the hospital. His obituary remembered about his service in both world wars, his life with Edith and their children, and his career as a teacher and administrator in various Manitoba schools.

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11 November 1919 - One Year From the End of War

“A year ago to-day, just 365 days ago, the whole world ceased its turmoil, gasped, drew in its sobbing breath and went upon its knees in thankful relief that for a moment, at least, the monster which for four and one-half years had devastated the world was still.”

This article from The Manitoban newspaper on the first annual celebration of Armistice Day (now Remembrance Day) recalls the experience of the end of war and the joys and hopes that accompanied it. The author also reflects on the “turmoil and dissension” that surrounded people in their daily life, connecting this to veterans as well as political and economic movements. He or she reflects that only one year from the armistice of the First World War, that Canadians have, “Forgotten almost the day of our deliverance.”

It is not hard to connect the present 2019 experience to the world in which the author found themself, and their statement on the ways in which we can reflect on the sacrifices of those fighting for justice still ring true. 

“Two minutes of prayer when a life’s devotion to the cause for which so many gave their lives, is not too much to give in gratitude that we too sleep not in Flanders’ fields.”

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The Returned Soldier’s Handbook - 1918

Published in 1918 by the Canadian Department of Public Information, the Returned Soldier’s Handbook provided for discharged Canadian WWI soldiers  information on returning home and reintegration into Canadian society.

The handbook breaks down the war service gratuity. As an enlisted soldier since 1915, and on active duty for much of that time,  Fred Baragar would have been entitled to $70 per month, for six months after the time of his discharge. Additionally, Fred would have received a soldiers pension, the amount is not specified here.

Through the handbook honorably discharged soldiers were provided with information on places to stay, employment offices, and where to find medical treatment (if required due to injuries of disability sustained during their service).

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Fred’s Book Club - 1918-1919

15 January 1918: The Shulamite by Alice and Claude Askew

20 January 1918: A Student in Arms by Donald Hankey

30 March 1918: Canada in Khaki 

7 April 1918: unidentified Gene Stratton Porter book. Pierre and His People: Tales of the Far North by Sir Gilbert Parker

25 January 1919: Herself, Himself, and Myself by Ruth Sawyer Durand  

15 February 1919: Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

8 March 1919: Rise of Democracy by John Holland Rose

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Ripples from the Creek by Edith Baragar

In 1969 Edith Bargar published Ripples from the Creek, a history of the settlers of Elm Creek and the surrounding area. It is clear from the preface that Fred Baragar researched and began work on the manuscript for this book, but was unable to finish writing it before his death in 1964. Edith was able to “finish it for him” from Fred’s research, and presumably, her connection to the community.

Ripples from the Creek is a celebration of the people who settled in and around Elm Creek. The publication of Ripples from the Creek was part of a larger trend; many Canadian communities worked to publish local histories as a celebration of Canada’s Centennial in 1967. Additionally, the province of Manitoba celebrated a centenary just a few years later in 1970. A large number of Manitoban local histories were published in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Ripples from the Creek has been fully digitized, and is available through the University of Manitoba Libraries Digital Collections.

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Public School Geography by Robert M. Stevenson and Fred D. Baragar

Fred Baragar co-authored 2 manuscripts post-WWI, Public School Geography (pictured above) and Ripples from the Creek, a local history of Elm Creek, Manitoba and the surrounding area.

Public School Geography was written by Fred and Robert M. Stevenson. It was commissioned by the Educational Book Company of Toronto Ltd., and the first edition was published in 1927. Fred’s contract with the publisher was signed in 1925; it stated that Fred was to be paid a total of $500 for the delivery of the manuscript - equivalent to $7483.82 today. 

This book is not available online, but can be accessed in person at the University of Manitoba Libraries in Winnipeg, at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, or the University of Saskatchewan Libraries in Saskatoon.

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The Baragar Family in the 1921 Canadian Census

In 1921, three years after the end of the First World War, Fred and Edith Baragar were still living in their first home at 95 Landsdowne avenue in Winnipeg’s North End. Fred was teaching at St. John’s Technical High School, his occupation is listed in the census as “Teacher”. Edith, who had taught at various schools prior to her marriage to Fred, gave her occupation as “none”.

We can also track the other members of the Baragar family in this first post-war census. Charles Inkerman and Emily Baragar were still farming near Elm Creek (listed in the census as the Rural Municipality of Grey). 

Henry William Baragar was listed alongside his parents with his occupation listed as “Farmer”. He was likely working on the family farm while living on the property.

Ernest and Alice Baragar were living in the Rural Municipality of Grey (likely near Elm Creek). His occupation is listed as “Farmer”, hers as “none”.

Frank Baragar was renting a home in Portage La Prairie, listed as a “Lodger” in the census. His occupation is obscured, but appears to read “Farmer”.

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Found in the Newspaper - Frederick Baragar

As Fred Baragar continued to be very active in the local community after the First World War, both as a teacher and otherwise, mentions of work in which he was involved pop up from time-to-time. Above are a selection of articles from The Winnipeg Tribune (full papers linked below) featuring Fred from the 1920s through to his obituary from 1964. 

While not pictured above, even small mentions such as Fred being out in Elm Creek for “several weeks” in August 1921 found their way into the newspaper. Perhaps he was home on the farm, helping with the harvest?

In 1927, we find Fred running the skating program while a teacher at St. John’s High School. By the 1930s, Fred was also involved in the Wesley Grads’ Association (later as president of the United College Graduates after it was re-named, which he continued to be involved with over his lifetime).

Many newspaper mentions of Fred are connected to his work as a teacher or school administrator. In 1936 he was featured in a column on “Who’s Who in City Schools” while Principal at Principal Sparling School. His photo was included again in 1938 as part of an article on new principals when he took on the principal’s role at Laura Secord School. On 8 March 1939, Fred was on CKY radio speaking about the subject “history” for a Department of Education Broadcast. A 1940 article showcases his involvement in Manitoba Educational Association debates around the amalgamation of history and geography under the subject “social science”.

During the Second World War, we know that Fred continued his work as an educator, but also used his First World War experience to help prepare the Manitoba-based reserves. In one article from 1942, We see that “Captain F. D. Baragar” is leading a battery in a Field Artillery exercise done by Reserve battalions. 

Fred continued to be involved in education work both in and out of schools his whole life. In 1944 we see him serving as “Finance Convenor” for the Manitoba Teachers’ Society. In 1961, even after retirement, Fred Baragar took up teaching again at the age of 70 in “Winnipeg’s newest and smallest school” (a building on the Manitoba Teachers College campus), where 22 students - unemployed adults - could upgrade their education in order to better find employment. 

A further listing of many of the ways in which Fred was involved in the Winnipeg community are included in his obituary, which was published 2 days after his passing on 3 October 1964. The Winnipeg Tribune obit is broken into two parts in the images above.

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Fred’s Book Club - 1917

Hi again folks! It’s time for the latest installment of Fred’s literature and pop culture references, this time collected from his 1917 From The Somewhere letters. If you haven’t already checked out our 1915 “Book Club” post, or the 1916 offering, we highly recommend it! 

As always, let us know if you’ve checked out any of the material Fred refers to - and check the corresponding letter to see how your opinions compare to his from over 100 years ago! 

5 January 1917: Lord Nothcliffe’s War by Alfred Harmsworth 7 February 1917: Everywoman by Walter Browne  4 March 1917: unspecified book by Anthony Trollope  7 April 1917: The Friendly Road and Adventures in Friendship, both by David Grayson (Ray Stannard Baker). 7 June 1917: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Beverly of Graustark by George Barr McCutcheon, and Outdoor Secrets by Margaret P. Boyle  24 July 1917: Address of Prime Minister Lloyd-George in London in Reply to Chancellor Michaelis (made 21 July 1917) 12 September 1917: Inside the Lines by Earl Derr Biggers 11 November 1917: Anne’s House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery 9 December 1917: The Major by Ralph Connor (Charles William Gordon)

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Prairie Road Trip - Winnipeg homes of Fred and Edith Baragar

Our next stop on our Manitoba road trip was to visit the Winnipeg homes of Fred and Edith Baragar. After marrying on 31 December 1919 the couple moved into their first home in Winnipeg’s North End at 95 Lansdowne ave. They lived in this house from 1920 until 1926. By 1927 they had moved in to the house next door, 93 Landsdowne ave, where they lived until 1932 or 1933.

By 1933 the couple had moved into a house in South Winnipeg at 738 McMillan (pictured at the top of the post). It was in this home that they raised their children. They would live here together until Fred’s death in 1964.

And a bonus house! Pictured below is our best guess at the house (or at least location of the house) where Edith Robertson lived while attending Wesley College, and after her graduation in 1917. Located at 112 Royal St. (now Pulford St.), this house was where Edith received Fred’s letters while he served overseas during the First World War.

The addresses above were located via the 1921 and 1926 Canadian Censuses, the Henderson Directories for Winnipeg between (1922-1965), and the February 1920 issue of Vox Wesleyana. The picture of the house on Lansdowne avenue is courtesy of Google Maps. All other photos were taken by us in July 2016.

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30 August 1919 - One Big Union Bulletin

In additional late-summer Winnipeg General Strike coverage, we have the above bulletin (thanks to the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections) released by the Winnipeg Central Labor Council of the One Big Union. The Council was in the midst of planning a parade and picnic in City Park for Labor Day on 1 September 1919.

The front page includes a satirical poem, and some pro-strike commentary on the end of the strike and the fact that eight men, strike leaders and/or supporters, were still imprisoned at the provincial jail (”Manitoba Provincial Gaol”). A note on a special supplement with labor day parade details is included, though the supplement is not available to us. The second page includes commentary on protesting, trade, and critiques of government leaders taking certain actions for money.

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27 August 1919 - Strikers Defense Bulletin

In a brief return to our Winnipeg General Strike coverage, we would like to draw your attention to this issue of the Strikers Defense Bulletin; available through the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections.

This paper published articles covering the aftermath of the strike. Specifically, this issue provides update a few crucial updates and analyses. People who participated in the general strike were discriminated against, needing to move out of Winnipeg to find work. The recently passed amended Immigration Act was critiqued, rightly, as discriminatory against anyone that those in positions of power considered “undesirable”. Updates were provided on the status of the arrested strike leaders.

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Fred’s Book Club - 1916

Following our 1915 “Book Club” post, we now present to you Fred Baragar’s literary references from his 1916 letters home. Again, if you delve into any of Fred’s “recommendations”, we’d love a message to hear what you thought - or simply re-blog this post with your comments! 

6 January & 11 March 1916: Alfred Lord Tennyson’s The Princess - The Splendour Falls on Castle Walls  13 February 1916: Rabbi Ben Ezra by Robert Browning  24 February 1916: Sir Henry Lauder’s I Love A Lassie  26 February 1916: Fred requests copies of MacLean’s, Life, Cosmopolitan  29 February 1916: Henry Jackson Van Dyke’s The Blue Flower, and Others  7 April 1916: A Far Country by Winston Churchill  30 April 1916:The Fortune of Christina McNab by Sarah Macnaughton, Tennyson’s The Brook  5 May 1916: Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster and Bystanders’ Fragments from France by Bruce Bairnsfather. 9 June 1916: The Vision of Sir Launfal by James Russell Lowell 19 June 1916: Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain, The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, The Virginians by Thackeray, and a collection of Tennyson’s Poems 4 July 1916: The Ordeal of Richard Feverel by George Meredith  11 July 1916: An unnamed Charlie Chaplain film 12 November 1916: The Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright, and “The Adventures” - likely Adventures in Contentment by David Grayson (Ray Stannard Baker)  8 December 1916: Their Yesterday by Harold Bell Wright 10 December 1916: Just David by Eleanor H. Porter 28 December 1916: A Kiss for Cinderella by J.M. Barrie

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Prairie Road Trip - Winnipeg Schools

Post-war, Fred Baragar returned to work as a teacher. Over the course of his career Fred lived in Winnipeg with his family, and worked at a few local schools. 

Only a few months after returning home from the First World War, Fred started teaching at St. John’s Technical High School in Winnipeg’s North End. The top photo above shows the current high school built in 1967. The original building, where Fred taught at from 1919-1929, was located on a different site nearby.

From 1930 to 1938 Fred served as the principal of Principal Sparling School in the neighbourhood of Sargent Park. Pictured in the bottom left photo above, this school was built between 1912 and 1913, and opened in August 1913. 

In 1939 Fred moved to Laura Secord School, where he worked as the principal until 1957. Pictured in the bottom right, this school is located in the heart of Winnipeg’s Wolseley neighbourhood, and is where Fred worked until his retirement. 

Read more about Fred’s postwar career here.

The top photo of St. John’s High School is from the Winnipeg School Division website. The bottom left photo of Principal Sparling School and the bottom right photo Laura Secord school were both taken by us in July 2016.