From the Desk of Murray Lincoln: Marion Nellie Lincoln

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Today’s Blog Post
Marion Nellie Lincoln – January 28, 1921 and still going
89 years ago today it was very cold. The wind was whistling through the small, frail house that perched on the top of the coulee on that broad expanse of prairie in Saskatchewan. The wind was blowing strongly from the west whipping what snow it could find into drifts around the tiny structure.

The photo here was taken in the warmth of late spring a few years ago.

January 28, 1921 - The sun began to peek over the horizon 8:04 AM that day and went down at 6:20 PM

To be completely accurate about that day it was as follows for Jan 28, 1921
Nautical Twilight Start : 7:24
Civil Twilight Start : 8:04
Sunrise : 8:40
Local Noon : 13:12
Sunset : 17:44
Civil Twilight End : 18:20
Nautical Twilight End : 19:00

At the Longitude = 104° 59.50' West, Latitude = 49° 54.01' North was the exact place that Marion Nellie Kirkpatrick arrived on that cold winter day. She was the first girl to be born to Charlie and Emma Kirkpatrick. What a joy and relief when this little bundle arrived.

This photo is taken at about one mile above the farm shows "country" - lots of it!.

Two children had been born to Charlie and Emma in that small farm house so far from the nearest city of Regina – which is 60 miles away.

With today’s transportation and road system this drive can be made easily in one hour. In 1921 it was much slower with the horse and sleigh… and buggy if the roads were open. Cars were not yet possible for this small family as there simply was not enough money.

Charlie and Emma’s first baby was born a quadriplegic. His name was Robert – (Known as Uncle Bob later). Then came Dale. And now “Nellie”.

Today is Marion Nellie Lincoln(Kirkpatrick’s) 89th birthday and she is my Mom.

She was Nellie and Nell for 81 years. For the past 8 she has been known as Marion. Let me explain.

In 2002, when she moved into her new apartment in Regina, her fellow seniors in the building ‘renamed her’ when they saw her official Government mail come – which stated plainly “Marion Nellie Lincoln”. There was another Nell and Nellie in the building – so they decided that to avoid confusion they would call her Marion. Actually it was also Marianne… to some.

On that cold January morning it was recorded that on 28 January 2004, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Temperature drops to -45° C (-49° F), the coldest in 33 years.

In 1921 it was about the same. No one wrote much down that day they were too busy with the excitement in that small house.

For 65 years and 9 months I have known my Mom. When I first met her she was only 23 years old and lived with Clifford in a small farm house at Keydive, Saskatchewan. Our first face to face happened in a nursing home in Ceylon, Sask.

From there she took me along as they moved to Lang, Milestone and Regina.

I have an amazing Mom.

Her one Brother Ben and her two Sisters Peg and Marg will attest to that today. The three of them are the last of 9 children in their family. Every one else is waiting on the “other side” for these three.

Today we will have a party for her with the birthday party in Peterborough, Ontario – about 1,700 miles from where she came into this world 89 years ago.

My thoughts are filled with all the stories of family, the farm, the life that she has shared with me and my siblings. There have been so many happy times mixed with some sad ones as well. It has been her life.

Last fall on her special days, her anniversary for Cliff and her, on her mother’s birthday and her dad’s, on anniversary of Cliff’s death 23 years ago… mom is very quiet. It has been a long life with so much that has happened.

I have encouraged her to write about all that she remembers. She began a few years ago and maybe it is happening today. I suspect that in among her things stored in her room are the precious memories scribbled on sheets of paper over these years. I hope they are…

Anyway…
Happy Birthday Marion Nellie Kirkpatrick Lincoln! We love you.