HIGHLY RESPECTED CITIZENS

Joseph Neale was born in Bear River in 1909, the son of William Neale, an orphan boy who came to Canada from England at an early age, and was adopted by Joseph Colghan, who had a farm in Bear River. He later married Joseph’s daughter, Ada, and they inherited the farm. Joseph, one of their three children, continued to farm on the homestead.

Joe became a farmer at an early age having to leave school to take up the farming, since his father worked for the J .J . Hughes Co., in Souris.

In 1936, Joe married Flora Paton, and they had five children. They had a mixed farming operation, and in later years, a fruit farm to supplement their income. Plums, black currants, raspberries and strawberries were grown on this farm. His wife, Flora remembers selling the strawberries for twenty-five cents a box.

Joe prepared exhibits for the Souris Exhibition, where he won many prizes for his cattle, poultry and vegetables. He enjoyed raising chickens, and in the fall, he would have approximately seventy-five chickens to sell, along with geese and other poultry.

Joe was a highly respected citizen in the district. He had one of the few cars at that time, a Model—T—Ford. It had plastic curtains instead of glass windows. He was often called upon to go for a doctor, something he did quite willingly. In winter, when the road was impassable, he and the other men in the district would have to open the road with horses and sleighs so that the doctor could come to see a patient. At times, the pitches were so high, that the horses would walk out of the harness if it wasn’t secured tightly.

Some mishaps occurred on Joe and Flora’s farm as well. On one occasion, friends of Flora came to visit. They had their three children

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