Peter Fidler born 1867

[Rossm]

Hi Gary
Your section on Peter Fidler born 1867 shows him dying in 1948 in the title line and the picture caption then dying in 1955 in the bottom line. I was 12 years old in 1955 and remember it happening next door ( I thought people could only be born again ). Also the map caption has him living at River Lot 14. I believe this should read lot 9 - the Birston property on the south side of Craig Ave. was lot 7,we lived on the north side of Craig Ave. on lot 8 and Peter lived next door at lot 9. Perhaps lot 14 is where his brother (Alex?) lived along the hiway across from the Conrad property.

Also living in the house about this time, but not on your "Children" list, was his daughter Frances - Nora's younger sister, born around 1920 - and her first husband Norman Scott. She later remarried and moved to California for a while. In 1991 I flew to Edmonton, joined my father Archie McLeod, flew to Wpg, and we rented a car to drive to Gimli for his brother Graham's funeral. Frances, staying in Selkirk, caught a ride with us to Gimli and back to Selkirk after the funeral. She always had a pronounced limp as if from childhood polio but I don't know if this was the cause.

Your research is always excellent so I am probably just getting senile or missing something. The first time I read your site I didn't even know what the relationship between my childhood neighbour and Peter Fidler the historical figure was.

Regards

Ross

[gnstill]

Always nice to hear from you Ross

You are absolutely right; thanks very much for pointing out these errors which I have now corrected. Check again and let me know if you see any other errors I may have missed.

Regarding the Lot numbers: Censuses 1911 and 1916 indicate Peter FIDLER lived on Lot 8. As you say, your family was also on Lot 8 (river lots were wide enough to include both properties). Originally river lots extended two mile back from the river. River Lot 14, as you say, extended from the property owned by my grandfather Nelson CONRAD (1860-1946) all the way to the river and included the property owned by William FIDLER (1858-1959), which my parents bought (my brother Everet lives there now). I actually helped tear down the old log William FIDLER house there and have a few artifacts I found in the attic (including some very old tax receipts). William FIDLER was Peter’s brother. I actually plan to do a page on him soon.

Now, about Frances FIDLER who was born Aug 29, 1927. My understanding is that Frances was an illegitimate child of Nora FIDLER (father unknown) who later married Ernest GOWEN. Frances was raised by her Aunt Myra and her FIDLER grandparents (your neighbors).

[Rossm]

Hi Gary

Yesterday I thought about Frances being Nora's daughter rather than sister and a bell went off in my memory dep't. That and the fact I referred to William Fidler as (Alex?) confirms the onset of senility.

Ross

[gnstill]

You are not senile yet Ross

In fact you are correct; there was an Alex FIDLER on the same Lot 14, but right at the River Road, further east of William FIDLER who I mentioned previously (my brother Everet's place at Hwy 9). The Alex you are referring to was Alexander George FIDLER (1875-1959), son of Nancy PRUDEN & Henry FIDLER (1831-1908). He lived right above the river (that's the property that my brother Bill STILL bought and built his home on at River Road). The old Alec FIDLER house was torn down.

[Don Gowen]

The correction to ghstill'S comment on the death of Peter Fidler needs a correction. Frances Fidler was not Peter fidler's daughter and Nora's younger sister. Frances Fidler was indeed the daughter of Nora Gowen' (nee Fidler) and my half-sister.
gnstill's article also says Peter Fidler was burried with along side his daughters Myra and Nora. Nora (my mother) diedi in 1956, a year after Peter Filder (my grandfather),

[gnstill]

Nice to hear from you Donald. Last time I saw you and your brother ‘Bud’ was in Edmonton back about 1970, not long after I moved into a small house trailer there; the year before I got married. I visited your brother Peter a few year ago (Morris & Dudley were there at the time too).

I have re-worded my page about your Grandfather Peter FIDLER. Please check it out and see if I got the dates right there once and for all. Here’s the link: PETER FIDLER (1867-1955)

Would you by any chance have access to a picture of him that I could add to that page?

Also, do you know anything about the history of the old Gowen house in Mapleton? Who owned it before your Dad bought it?

[Don Gowen]

Frances Fidler's father was of the Jewish faith. Frances knew his name and in fact had a meeting with him in the 1960s or 70s. Frances was not raised by her aunt Myra Fidler but rather by her mother Nora Fidler who lived with her father Peter Fidler. Myra Fidler died in 1945. Frances Fidler as far as I know was the first illegitimate child of Nora's, She later had a son (Lawrence Asham of Hodgson Manitoba), and was pregnant with a son (Sidney Gowen) when she married Ernest Gowen.

[Don Gowen]

My mistake, Frances was raisd in her grandfather's house and may have been by her aunt Myra. I don't know as I wasn't born yet, but I do know Myra owned a house on Highway 9 across from the old Mapleton school, I don't know if she lived there or just rented it out. When she died in 1945 (3 years after my birth) my mother Nora inherited the house and lived there for a while after she separated from my father Ernest Gowen circa 1947/48. She then traded that house to Francis Coumont for a house at 408 Manchester Ave. in Selkirk. She lived there for a while then moved in with her father Peter Fidler and daughter Frances Fidler. My half brother Sidney Gowen lived in the house at 408 Manchester for a while after he got married. Frances and her husband Norman Scott lived with Peter Fidler and Nora Gowen in the fidler house until their separation, Norman moved out but Frances remained there for the most part eventually inheriting the house after Nora Fidler's death in 1956. there are an inestimable amount of sagas that could be written about here, but that would be a novel longer than War and Peace, so I'll leave it at this.

[Don Gowen]

Ross you've already corrected yourself on the relationshop between Frances and Nora Fidler, which I hadn't read before I put in my 11/2 cents worth (guess I should read the entire forum first). Regarding Frances's limp, you may be correct on the polio, all I know is she was operated on in the Shriner's Hospital in Winnipeg and had a steel pin inserted through her leg and hip joint in attempt to properly maintain their alignment. She always cried when she saw the Shriners in a parade proclaiming that if it wasn't for them she would have lost her mobility and been confined to a wheelchair within perhaps another year or so. I don't recall the year but I believe she was very young, perhaps from 9 to 11 years old. (I could be wrong again). My memory isn't what it used to be. (Onset of Oldtimer's Disease).

[Don Gowen]

History of Gowen house in Old England
Ernest Charles Gowen 1908 to 1977 bought this house in the mid 1940s and resided in it until 1968 when he bought a house in the town of Selkirk. His son Donald Gordon Gowen took possession of the property in the summer of 1968 and resided therein until his separation in 1977. The property is now resided in by Peter Charles Gowen and family; Don’s older brother.
When Ernest Gowen purchased the property through the DVA there was a family residing in the house by the name of Favel. Whether they were the previous owners or just renting I don’t know.
To learn about the house, you can access the Selkirk Enterprise archives. There was a story printed in the Selkirk Enterprise in the 1960s with a photo of the house. The photo was taken in early December as there is a Christmas lying on the roof of the house. It was placed there to keep it in shape until it was time to bring it into the house to be decorated for Christmas.
The late Elsie McKay who wrote a column in the Selkirk Enterprise pertaining to the history of the town of Selkirk and district once had a photo of the property which was originally the Old England Inn. Her house burned in the late 60s or early 70s and the photo was destroyed by the fire. If you can access the Manitoba archives you may be able to acquire a photo from there.
You also inquired about a photo of Peter Fidler. You may be able to procure one from Moe Gowen (Maurice not Morris) as he does have a collection of old family photos. If he doesn’t have one he will be able to direct you to Ruth Gowen who has a more extensive collection of old family photos.

[gnstill]

This is all super great information Donald!

Your extra info has inspired me to feature a web-page for your family at this link:
ERNEST GOWEN (1908-1977)

Please continue discussions on this topic on the Forum there. You may need to get another password to post stuff there. Here's the link for that:
DISCUSSIONS ABOUT ERNEST GOWEN

[Rossm]

Hi Donald

Glad to see your posts on Gary's web site !! Its been a couple of years since I stumbled across the site and I was starting to wonder if Gary and I were the only ones left of our generation from Mapleton School and neighbourhood . I'm looking forward to more postings on both of Gary's sites to bring back memories that have faded over the last 50-60 years or so.

All the best for Christmas and New Year to you and Gary.

Ross

[gowdon]

I have a couple corrections to make but I am not allowed to post on the appropriate sites so I'll make them on this one and you can make the changes in the proper places. You Have Hellen Nora Gertrude Fidler's birthdate as 1908, it was indeed 1907, she wa a year older than my father, Maurice Frederick Gowen does not use the Moniker Morris, but rather is called Moe. His name is indeed Maurice not Morris.

[gnstill]

Thanks for that Donald; I have made the corrections.

Regarding the GOWEN Page and the GOWEN Forum on Red River Ancestry. This is a separate, different website and requires you to register separately (anew) while you are on the Red River site. Please do so; sorry for the inconvenience.