Olive Ena Hunter - Maternal Grandmother

Olive Ena Hunter aka "Mudder" 

Olive Hunter christening

Our grandmother(Olive) on Mom's side was born on March 15 1906 in Waskada Manitoba.   Olive was the oldest of three girls raised by her mother Alva Violet Edmanson.
When she was 1 year old her sister Iva Everal was born and at the age of 9 her second sister Ada Lavina was born.  The three girls father is John Wilmot Hunter.  All three girls were raised on the homestead and were well educated for the times both in traditional school and music.

Olive on the right - 

The year of our grandmothers birth - her future husband Ned Pelser was 10 years old and living with his family in a large German community in Poland.

Olive, her mom and two sisters moved to Swift Current in 1916.  am not sure why or where their dad went.  Mudder was 10 at the time.  These were tumulus times as Canadians heard news of the war in Europe. thousands of men signed up to fight.  This was the year women got the right to vote in Manitoba, then Alberta and Saskatchewan followed suit. (see future posts for more about women's right to vote).

WWI was raging - anti German protests and propaganda was common in Canada and United States.  Women worked outside of the home in order to build munitions and keep the economy going.

More than 300,000 Canadians signed up to fight overseas in the first part of WWI (1914-1915).  By the end of 1916 volunteering had dried up. Canada did not have the recruits to reinforce the Canadian troops due to the awful toll of fighting in France and Belgium.

Canadian and British propaganda was heightened, increasing pressure, guilt and anti German sentiment to bolster needed troops and money to win the war.

The Canadian conscription act of 1916 was unevenly administered and numerous evasions and exemptions granted.  Thousands of young refused to even register.  Of those that did 93% asked for exemptions.  (More in future posts).

Just years before -  in 1912, Ned our 17 year old German grandfather had said goodbye to his family and homeland Germany.  Boarded the Canadian vessel MV "The Montreal" and was now living in Outlook Saskatchewan working as a farm labourer.   Did his parents see the upcoming war?  It's easy to extrapolate from historical records.  Many German families decided to escape the impending war by leaving for Canada. Unfortunately when WWI broke anti German sentiment was high in Canada and USA. Germans tended to remain in close knit communities, immigrating to pockets in Saskatchewan and Alberta.  They followed family and friends, receiving support and funds to help succeed in their new homes.  And they in turn helped more immigrants.

Mom recalls Mudder helping the poor,  feeding the men during the depression on their porch. Bringing young girls into the house as housekeepers, teaching them to pay music, giving them an education.

Olive moved from Waskada with her teacher mother in 1918 to Diamond Hill, but the weather got so bad by November the school closed and the four moved to Swift Current.   After winter passed they moved to Antelope Saskatchewan and her was the first teacher for Kemmel Hill School.

The three sisters, Olive on the right

The Hamlet of Antelope was named for the herds of pronghorn antelope roaming the prairies.  It was located 538 miles west of Winnipeg.
In 1919 Antelope has a lumberyard, grocery store, post office, 5 elevators, poolroom, barbershop, livery barn, restaurant, blacksmith shop and garage.

The school was built in 1919 just to the south of Antelope at Kemmel Hill.  Up to 42 students attended, grades 1-10, taught by one teacher.    (A future post on one room schools of Canada was to come).

The four rented a place in Antelope ..  and here are our grandmothers own words from "Praire Profiles"

               "I don't remember who we rented from but it was not far from the Ard Store and Post Office, and was the third house from the east end of Main Street.  What fun we had!  We all loved it, but unfortunately there was no high school and mother felt that I, at least, needed to be in one, although she taught me what she could.  Yes, she even taught some music to us all, both Ada and I went on to get our teaching diplomas and music diplomas from the Toronto Conservatory of Music.  I also taught school for about 3 1/2 years.  Mother, of course taught steady, except for some time off for University."

"Our mother had a long hard struggle raising us as well as improving her own education.  Both Ivy and I worked for our board and room part of the time.  I also got jobs in the summer and finally got enough saved to go to Normal School..."  

Normal School was the term used for teachers College.  Mudder(Olive) attended Normal School at the age of 15 in Regina.  The school trained high school graduates to be teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum.  Graduating with Honours in 1919.

This is the Normal School Mudder attended.  It is now the "Saskatchewan Production Studios".

Olive married our grandfather(Ned)  at the age of 17 (1923) in Leader, Saskatchewan. She continued with her teaching and piano training and had three daughters herself, Rubie, Rose-Anna(our mother) and Rita. (check back for more info in future posts)