OTHER BROTHERS AND SISTERS MOVE TO SASKATCHEWAN

      Besides Rob, Joseph and John and their mother, sister Mary Jane, husband Hugh Donnan and children took up a homestead in 1887.   
     The Caswells liked Clark’s Crossing and persuaded their oldest brother, James Dickson, to bring out cattle to stock their ranges.  He stayed long enough to look for a homestead.  James was a family man, a storekeeper, well settled in Palmerston, and the father of six youngsters.  Such responsibilities may have given him pause, and it is likely that it took a lot of persuading to convince his wife Mary, that they should leave.  The next spring (1887), his store in Palmerston having burned, he, too, came out to Saskatchewan.

     James daughter, Maryanne kept a journal of their trip to Clark’s Crossing, which was later published in book form.  The following information from her book is about their arrival at Clark’s Crossing.

     It was Uncle Joe (Caswell) come to meet us.  After a survey of us, his team was turned about, I (Maryanne) was hoisted to the wagon seat, given my first reins, told to drive and not get too far ahead.  How elated I felt to drive the grey mare that had served Alex Caswell on the mission field in Dakota and later had carried Uncle Joe in the Rebellion times of 1885.

Uncle Rob’s house is made of small, white upstanding poplar logs, plastered and whitewashed, two large rooms, bedroom and pantry.  Uncle Rob has made a bed-sofa, stool and sideboard for the parlor, very pretty cut-work and comfortable.

      The weather is so hot that the heat in the distance dances like wild Indians riding to battle.  The prairie is transformed into an enchanted land, inhabited by elves and fairies.  If you listen carefully to the whispering of the wind in the grass, the buzzing of the insects above the countless bright flowers, changed by a miracle every few days to another colour and variety, you are in another world.

LUCY DONNAN (on near horse) & WINNIE COLT

JD CASWELL SOD HOME AT CLARK.S CROSSING
      There does not seem to be time to burn the limekiln to build our concrete house that has been planned, so it has been decided to build a black brick one of wiry prairie sod plowed from the edge of the slough toward the river.  After the place for it was staked out, father plowed the sods and cut them with a spade into uniform lengths of about two feet or more.  Then we loaded them onto the stone boat drawn by the oxen.  At the staked place, we helped unload and place them in proper position; every second row the join of the lower sods being overlapped by the next top one.  Father shifting where necessary to keep the walls straight and plumbed.  The walls are three sods thick.  The door and a window in the east, a large window in the south, a door jamb in the west filled with sods, but to be removed in the spring and a milk house built onto the main building.  For rafters we used poplar poles, for floor sleepers and ceiling beams we scavenged from an old scow we found down the river.  The ceiling and floor boards came from the shanty we were living in.  It was early on a cold windy morning when we tore it down, praying there would be no rain or snow until we were ready.

      Straw or hay was spread on the willows nailed to the rafters and then we were ready for placing sods on the roof, overlapping them as shingles to make the roof weatherproof.  We built beds of pole posts and lumber.  Mother tacked new rag carpet to the walls and a post to make bedrooms with sheets, a bureau and cupboard dividing to make the living room.  We have no parlor.  We made small pegs and drove them into the wall at regular intervals in a straight line down the floor, then tacked brown building paper lengthwise on to the pegs, putting boards around for a baseboard.  This will keep the dust from sifting.  Father made a sundial on the floor, so we will know the time of day.

The list of Caswells in the 1888 McPhillips Directory Saskatchewan, NWT
Caswell, Joseph  w1 39 4 w 3
Caswell, RW       e 2 39 4 w 3
Caswell, JJ          e 12 39 4 w 3
Caswell, JD        n 12 39 4 w 3
Caswell, David  w 2 39 4 w 3
Donnan, Hugh   w 18 39 3 w 3

    
    The oldest of the three sisters in the family, Sarah, husband Ephraim Case and their children moved from Muskoka, Ontario, to Clark’s Crossing about 1894.
    By 1897 the sons and daughters of Andrew and Mary Jane are again on the move.  A quit deed in favour of Samuel Caswell by his brothers and sisters and registered in Palmerston shows the following locations:

Palmerston

• Samuel Caswell

Manitoba

• Andrew Caswell, near Neepawa, farmer

Saskatchewan

• Robert Wallace Caswell & Fanny Buchanan Caswell, near Saskatoon,    farmer

• Mary Jane & Hugh Donnan, near Prince Albert, farmer

• James Dickson Caswell & Mary, near Rosthern, farmer

• Sarah & Ephraim Case, near Osler, farmer

• John J & Patience Caswell, near Osler, farmer

• David Caswell, near Osler, farmer

• Joseph Caswell, near Osler Famer

United States

• Alexander Kennedy Caswell, Philadelphia, Penn. Clergyman

• Thomas and Mary Onida Caswell, Cherokee, Iowa, Farmer

• William Caswell, Sacramento, California, Carpenter

• Margaret & Robert Styles. Williams Co., North Dakota, farmer

     In 1903 Samuel moved from Palmerston, where he was both city clerk and a commercial photographer, to Saskatchewan, homesteading near Juniata.  Alexander Kennedy Caswell was in Saskatchewan at one time, but spent his later years in California.

     Saskatoon had but fourteen houses in 1887 when James took his brood to Clark’s Crossing.  A decade later it became evident that Saskatoon was growing and Clark’s Crossing was not.  A letter from John to a government official cites as a reason for moving to Saskatoon the need to have regular schooling for his children.  And underlying the move to Saskatoon of several of the brothers probably recognition that land values in Saskatoon were increasing far beyond any that could be anticipated where they were.
     Joe's letter of 1898 talks about moving from the Clark's Crossing area as the range was getting too crowded.

     I was a bona fide settler here since '83 working my place and living with my brother on the adjoining 1/4 section.  I fulfilled the requirements of the Government except that I did not live the three months early enough to entitle me to a second homestead entry.
     I have now got 65 head of cattle and 14 horses, 20 of the cattle are registered short horns.  The Mennonites and Galatians are crowding around so that I am forced either to dispose of the cattle or move out to where there is more hay and pasture.  
     I think of going south of Saskatoon into the sand hills so that the farmers may not crowd me out again.  

      Rob took up land in Saskatoon on the summit of Caswell Hill.  John’s ranch was just to the east.  Dave went a little northwest of town, obtaining land that became part of the city airport.  Joe eventually moved to a farm four miles southwest of Saskatoon.
     By the early 1900's the children of Mary Jane and Andrew begun to dispurse:

• James Dickson, Samuel, Robert, Joseph, William and Sarah all remained in the Saskatoon area.

• John, David, Thomas and Alexander settled in California.  Margaret stayed in North Dakota but after her death her husband and a number of her children moved to California.

• Andrew remained in Manitoba and Mary Jane moved to British Columbia. 

     Although a number of brothers & sisters had moved away they took the time in 1911 to gather at Rob's place for a reunion. 

1911 Reunion Caswell Hill, Saskatchewan

    So many Caswells, but no names. My great grandmother, Mary Jane Donnan (in black) is in the row of people sitting in chairs, 3rd woman from the left.  I think the woman behind Mary Jane and a little to the right (x on her shoulder) is daughter Lucy Shipman.  If anyone can identify their relatives, please let me know.
    
   COMPOSITE  PICTURE OF THE BROTHERS & SISTERS

     The benefit of having a photographer in the family - although the siblings were disbursed, Samuel used his photographic skills to create this composite photo.  Note the different backgrounds.  Formal photos were sent to Sam who blended the photos together to make this picture possible.
     The names under the picture were given to me many years ago.  Looking at it now I think Robert and Margaret Styles should be James Dickson and Mary.  Photos I have of Robert and Margaret are different from the two in this picture. The right of the photo, the six families plus Sarah appear to have been taken at the same time. 
   William is a separate photo as is Andrew and Susan; Thomas and Mary; and Alex and Martha.  
      Missing from the photo is my great grandmother, Mary Jane Donnan and probably Margaret Styles.