A history of Pickford Area Pioneer Families Daniel Morrison

BEACOM (DAVID H.)

The following reminiscences were set down in November, 1972, by Cecil Beacom, whose father was one of the earliest settlers in Blairville. Cecil and his wife now live at Kinross.

David H. Beacom came here from Canada with three other young men - - Will and Dick Allan, the third name I cannot recall. One day Robert Beacom and my father were riding horseback past our old farm in Blairville when Bob said, "Now, Dave, this is the farm you bought." My father replied, "Quit! You are crazy!", because by then they were holding their feet up on the horses so they would not get wet. But sometime later in the summer, my father made his way to the rear of the farm and on top of the river bank cleared a spot where he built a shack.

Some time later he married my mother, Helen C. Allan. Well, the shack grew into a little farmhouse.

But just a note to tell of a little of the hardship. My mother told me she had gone to bed and cried, because she was so sick of eating syrup and Johnnycake. My father told me he was called on the jury. So at night my mother put him up a little lunch and he walked all night down the Mackinac Trail in mud and water. At daybreak in St. Ignace he sat down on a stoop and wrung out his socks and put them back on - they felt dry. He had his lunch, sat on the jury, got off duty early, bought their first alarm clock and a pair of shoes for Mother, and waIked home that night.

But the good Lord was with them and a family of five was raised there on that farm: LULU, ROY R., GORDON, OLA, and CECIL. Now time has marched on. When my father was about 55 years old, he, my mother, Ola and I moved to Rudyard. Mother lived to the age of 82 and died in 1944. My father lived to the age of 85 and died in 1947. They are buried in Cottle Cemetery. LULU, ROY, and OLA have died. GORDON BEACOM lives in Punta Gorda, Florida.

I, Cecil Beacom, with the memories of my farm life, the old church and school, friends and the old Beacom homestead, turn the pages of time back and I am glad to bring the names of my family to light again.

BEST (WILLIAM H.)

William H. Best was born in Newbiggin, Cumberland, England, in 1851. He came to Coderich, Ontario, Canada, with his parents in 1859. He was married to Mary Henderson of Sarnia, Ontario, in 1874. The Bests came to Pickford in 1882 and homesteaded a farm one mile east of the present village of Pickford. Their farm was across from Mrs. Best's brother, John Henderson, who had come to this area some time before the Bests. The Hendersons later returned to Goderich. The Best farm is presently owned by Louis O'Brien.

Mr. and Mrs. Best had three children: THOMAS, ETTA, and HARRY. THOMAS married Edna Hadden of Shelby, Michigan. They had one daughter, Virginia. She married Warren Goetz and had one son, Hadden, now deceased. THOMAS and Edna lived in Pickford until 1944 when they moved to Ann Arbor. He died in 1961 and Mrs. Best in 1968.

HARRY married Dora Denny. They operated a grocery store in Pickford for many years. Mrs. Best operated it for a number of years after Harry's death in 1940. They had two children, Wlliam (deceased) and Lois.

ETTA married Fred Taylor and had one son, Aldren. Mrs. Taylor died in 1941.

Aldren presently owns the hardware business established by his father in 1897.

Mr. and Mrs. Best were active in community and Methodist Church affairs. Mr. Best was the first president of the Pickford Agricultural Society and an early member of the school board. After his retirement from farming, he created a collection of stuffed birds and animals, part of which is on display in the Pickford High School. Mrs. Best died in 1928 and Mrs. Best in 1934.

BLAIR

William Blair was born on April 2, 1829. He married Katherine Allen, who was born in Enskillan, Ireland, on Aug. 20, 1832, and emigrated to Ontatio in 1839. They were married in Goderich on April 17, 1850, and moved to Pickford in 1881. They took up a homestead one mile south and two miles west of town. Their eldest son, Hugh, preceeded them here, arriving with William Wise in 1880. Their first home still stands on the farm owned by Delores and Donald Nettleton. The Nettletons built a new home when they bought the Blair farm, which they purchased from Artie Blair, a grandson, who had lived there all his life, passing away at the age of 79.

The Blairs were members of the Methodist Church, Mrs. Blair being a member for 65 years. William died in March 1898, and Katherine in April, 1917. They are buried in Bethel Cemetety.

Their nine children were William James, who died at the age of 7 and was buried in Canada, Hugh, George, Annie, Margaret Jane, William John, Mary Elizabeth, Susanna, and Emma.

HUGH married Tillie Smith. He died in July, 1932, and was buried in the Cottle Cemetery west of Pickford. To this union was born five children. William Oliver never married and lived on the home place until four years before he died in a nursing home in McMillan. He is buried in Cottle Cemetery. Ann married Warry McCondra and lives in Sault Ste. Marie and had two children, Everett and Virginia. They are both married with families and living in the Soo area. Effie married Adam Roe, a blacksmith in Pickford for many years. After his death, she married George Shaw and went to live in DeTour where she died. Millie married William Wise of Blairville and after his death, she married Charley Sawiles, a widower with two children. They lived in the Soo and had a daughter, Catherine, who married Herbert Hopper of the Soo and moved to Indiana with their family. Charley passed away and Millie lives in Sault Ste. Marie. Clifford married and moved to Indiana where he is presently in a nursing home.

GEORGE married Elizabeth Hillock and they had two daughters. Laura married Samuel Nettleton and had seven children: Russell, Harry, Glen, Mary, Barney, Edna, and Eva. Lottie married Albert Bassett and had two children, Harold and Beatrice. Laura and Lottie are both deceased. George's wife died when his family was quite young. He was a farmer and his team ran away with the threshing machine, running over him. He was recovering nicely when he died suddenly on Nov. 2, 1902, and was buried in Bethel Cemetery.

ANNIE was married to William Wise and died in February, 1945. They had seven children. Fred married Sadie Harrison and had three children: Izetta (Mrs. Conrad Galer), Marie (Mrs. Harold Lockhart), and a son Harrison (deceased). Lawrence married Emily Beadle and they had five children: Thelma (Mrs. James Yeack) of Dafter, Dorothy (Mrs. Oren Barber, deceased), Pearl (Mrs. John Burtt, deceased), Morrell of Sault Ste. Marie, and Lois (Mrs. Niewiadomski) of Coloma. Lawrence and Emily are both deceased and buried in Cottle Cemetery. Charlie Wise was married to Marion Wilson and they had five children: Wilson, Emery, Donald, Joan (Mrs. Tony Gerrish), and Marion. The mother, Marion, passed away Shortly after Marion's birth, so Nellie raised four of the children, while Minnie raised the baby, Marion. Charlie was married a second time and died of a heart attack while on a vacation out West and is buried out there. Nellie Wise married Alex Crawford and had one daughter, Allyene (Mrs. Lewis Cowan). Nellie and Alex are both buried at Donaldson. Ivy Wise married James Crawford and they had two daughters and two sons: (Mrs. Russell Bye), Anneta (Mrs. John Allen), Reid married Jean Roe, and Jay (deceased) married Alma Leach. He is buried at Donaldson Cemetery. Minnie Wise married Vern Wood, the father of two children, Robert and Elsabelle. She raised her niece, Marion Wise, who is now Mrs. Mac Bawks of Cedarville. She passed away a few years ago and is buried in Cottle Cemetery. Harold passed away after Minnie's death. Carrie Wise married Alex Harrison and lived on a farm on the Town Line. They had six children: Reta (Mrs. Russell Cottle), Kenneth, Edwin (deceased), IsabelIe (Mrs. John Rye), and Stanley, all of Pickford, and Elizabeth (Mrs. Warren Hill) of Sault Ste. Marie.

MARGARET JANE BLAIR was married to Robert Beacom and died in February, 1945. They had six children: Herbert, who married Nettie Nettleton; Oliver, who married Lily Hillock; Mabel, who married William Leach; Clara, who married William Bawks; Emest, and Eva.

WILLIAM JOHN BLAIR lived here a few years and was married to Mary Hillock. They returned to Goderich where he died in January, 1956.

MARY ELIZABETH BLAIR died in Canada on Jan. 9, 1872.

SUSANNA BLAIR married John Hillock and died in July, 1948. They had nine children. Myrtle died as a small child with scarlet fever. Maude martied William Lockhart. They had four children: Carl, Harold, Etta, and Myron. Both Maude and her husband died in the Flu epidemic in 1919 a few days apart. Their grandparents finished raising the children. Bert Hillock died in march, 1930. Otto married Joyce Lines and lived in the Sault. They had a daughter, Verna (Mrs. Fred Norton) and Joyce died when their infant son was born. Otto then married her sister, Delphyna Lines, and they have two children, Erva (Mrs. Roy Atkinson) and Leonard. He is retired and lives in Rosedale. Frank Hillock was married to Mrs. Ethel Riddle, a widow with a daughter, Verna (Mrs. Jim Cuthbertson). After her death, he married Mrs. Ina Finn, a widow with one son, Herbert. After Ina's death, he married Mrs. Doris Brownlee, a widow with six married children, and they live in Sault Ste. Marie. Hazen Hillock married Bessie White and they lived in the Pontiac-Lake Orion until he retired and moved to Sault Ste. Marie. He died in September, 1972. Olive Hillock married Sam Girvin and lived in Rudyard on a farm where they raised their seven children: Vicinta (Mrs. John Feltis), Willard, Donald, Robert, Rolland, John, and Jerry. They moved to Warren several years ago and their family have all married except Jerry. They live in the Detroit and Pontiac area. Merrill Hillock married Valarie Richard of Dryburg and they have six children: Lawrence, Lorma (Mrs. Lyle Ames), Carol (Mrs. Bernard O'Connor), Richard, Hartwell, and John. Merrill is a retired postmaster and spends his winters in Florida. Lucille Hillock married George Fountain. They had two children, Joyce (Mrs. Lewis Jones) and Barlin (Bill). Both Lucille and George were killed in a car accident in 1957.

EMMA BLAIR never married and died in July, 1958.

Harvey Blair, a grandson raised by the William Blairs, lives in Pickford with his wife, the former Margaret Kirkbride. They have three sons: Edward, married to Etta Hart in Sault Ste. Merie. They had two daughters, Geogia and Mary. Geogia is married and has one child. Blaine and his wife, Mary, in Gaylord. Leland and his wife, the former Virginia Zwolinski, in Sault Ste. Matie. They had three children Richard Lee, Ronald Edward, and Cheryl Margaret. Richard married Beverly Benoit and they have one son Brent. Ronald married Donna Kirkbride and they have four sons, Robert, Roger, Richard, and Ronald. Cheryl married Tom Thoreson and they have a son Steve and a daughter Julie.