JAMES "JIM" FIDLER (1870-1929) ** Grandparents of Eldred STILL **
James FIDLER
James “Jim” FIDLER was born on July 25, 1870 in St Clements Parish, on the east side of the Red River across from Mapleton, a son of Jane YOUNG & William FIDLER (1845-1929). Jim’s grandfather, Thomas Jonathan FIDLER (1795-1875) was the patriarch of the Mapleton FIDLER families, settling there in the early 1830’s.
Jim was a great-grandson of Peter FIDLER of Bolsover (1769-1822), the famous HBC surveyor, explorer and fur trader. On his mother's side (Jane nee YOUNG), he descended from another Englishman, James YOUNG (1822-1870) and Isabella STEVENS, a half-breed woman. Jim was baptized in the old St Andrews Church-on-the Red on August 4, 1870.
Louis RIEL’s Red River Rebellion occurred in 1870, the year Jim was born, and Manitoba became Canada’s fifth Province that year.
In 1875 Métis Scrip for Jim was claimed by his father (William FIDLER).
The Red River Census of 1881 indicated that Jim was “going to school”. This would have been West Mapleton School, across the river from Jim’s home. At that time a ferry was located below the home of Thomas BUNN. The west landing was near the St Clements Anglican Church. To get to school, Jim would have had to walk over the frozen river in winter during the cold and blizzards, and cross by ferry or boat during the summer months. He wouldn’t be able to attend school during the spring break up or winter freeze over. More likely Jim stayed with his uncle, Henry FIDLER (1831-1908) who was then living in West Mapleton, or with one of his older cousins (Henry Thomas FIDLER b-1856 or William FIDLER b-1858) who also lived there.
Jim’s schoolmates in West Mapleton undoubtedly included Catherine McKENZIE (his wife-to-be), the daughter of Christina & Alexander Black McKENZIE (1828-1873). Catherine was the same age as Jim. Her father had died in 1873 she was recorded in the same census of 1881 living with her sister (Alice, later known as Granny LYONS) and brother-in-law William LYONS (1856-1939). Catherine’s mother (Widow Christina) was then staying with her other sister, the younger Christina (married to William SINCLAIR).
Jim was 14 years old in 1884, when the first Selkirk Newspaper began to be published. The region's first Mental Health Centre, also known as the Asylum, was constructed. The CPR linked Thunder Bay to Winnipeg via Rat Portage (Kenora). There were wooden sidewalks along the main streets of Selkirk. In 1887 the first Merchants’ Hotel was built in Selkirk.
On Nov 13, 1888 Catherine McKENZIE'S mother (Christina) died, and the 17 year old, now an orphan, found solace in the arms of her childhood sweetheart, Jim FIDLER.
Jim FIDLER & Catherine McKENZIE
In the spring of 1889 Catherine McKENZIE became pregnant and on Sep 18, 1889 she and Jim FIDLER were married in Selkirk. Less than four months later (Jan 3, 1890) Catherine gave birth to a baby girl (Mary).
In the 1891 Census Jim was recorded as a 20 year old "farm labourer" living in Mapleton with his wife Catherine and their daughter Mary.
There would be little festivity for Jim FIDLER during the Christmas of 1891 in Mapleton, only tragedy. Catherine died giving birth to their second child (Arabella) on Christmas Day. She was only 22 years old. The next day, Boxing Day, baby Arabella was baptized, and her mother was buried in the St Clements Churchyard (her grave is unmarked).
Jim FIDLER & Caroline SAYER
Caroline "Carrie" SAYER
Caroline “Carrie” SAYER was a descendant of Nor’Wester John SAYER (1750-1818) from England who married an Ojibwe woman named Nancy OBEMAU UNOQUA, the daughter of a famous War Chief. See more in BIG FOOT MOMANGAZIDA
Carrie SAYER, Cathy McKENZIE and Jim FIDLER had been close friends and school-mates since childhood. Sadness and grief had brought Jim and Cathy McKENZIE together, and now sadness and grief would unite Jim and Carrie, and there would be much more grief and sadness to come.
On Aug 3, 1892 Carrie’s father (George SAYER) died, and just two days later Jim’s eight month old daughter (Arabella) died. Carrie's father and Jim's little baby Arabella were buried around the same time in St Clements Church Cemetery. The old adage “misery loves company” certainly would apply to this pair. They moved in together, and two months later (October) they conceived a child.
By the spring of 1893 Jim and Carrie still had little Mary to feed and clothe, and now another baby was on the way. There was very little income as a casual “farm-hand” in those days. They were destitute, and Jim needed to find a job.
With the new railroad coming through to Winnipeg, Rat Portage had become a thriving community. It had its beginnings as an HBC fur trading post in 1860. It was known as the "roughest town in Canada" for many years. It was re-named Kenora in 1895. Lake of the Woods was the world's largest source of caviar (sturgeon roe) then and commercial fishing was a major activity. Four steamers ran regularly between Kenora and Fort Frances, making round trips weekly. Mining, pulp and paper, and lumber industries thrived, as well as tourism.
Several of Jim’s cousins had moved to Rat Portage and had found work there, and in the summer of 1893 Jim decided to try his luck, taking Carrie and toddler Mary along with him. There, they had a brief taste of joy with the birth of a baby boy on June 23. This was Ventrice, who would one day become my father-in-law, and the grandfather of my children. Joy soon turned to grief with the death of little Mary. We don’t know exactly when Mary died, but I suspect it was during or soon after Carrie was giving birth to Ventrice.
There would be no job and no more joy at Rat Portage that summer. Jim and Carrie returned to Mapleton where they buried little Mary on June 28, 1893 in the St Clements Cemetery. She was only three years old.
** Under Construction ** More to Come
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