AHOF Members archive

Sidney Edwin Ransom, the son of Wilson and Edna (Hughes) Ransom, was born on the S.W. quarter of 15-2-21 w. of the Morton Municipality. He was a family man, farmer, conservationist, and speaker. In 1934 Sid married Kathleen Mary Ashworth, and they raised three sons: Bill, Don, and Brian. The family were quite involved in community affairs: schooling, 4-H Grain Clubs, and Co-operative and Credit Union movements. During the dry years of the 30s, Mr. Ransom rented a quarter section of land. At first its grain production level was very low, but by following good management practises he, later, was able to buy the quarter, plus two more. He grew a special variety of Gary oats and registered Selkirk wheat,...

Fawcett Wright Ransom was born in Bedford, England in 1882, emigrating to Canada in 1897 to the Mountainside district of Manitoba. In 1909, he married Mabel Arde. They raised two children. Ransom was keenly interested in the need to improve conditions of the rural people. Thus he worked constantly for better educational facilities and standards by serving on local boards, on the Educational Commission, Board of Governors of the University of Manitoba and the Advisory Council of the Canadian Association for Adult Education. Co-operatives were his main interest. He was associated with the local Grain Growers Association, Manitoba Wheat Pool (later called Manitoba Pool Elevators), director and vice-chairman of Manitoba Co-op Wholesale, director of Interprovincial Co-ops, president of Red River...

Edward A. (Ted) Poyser was born in 1927 on a farm near Austin, Manitoba. “The farm” played a significant role in shaping Ted’s early life and his attitude towards and love for agriculture. Ted attended Emmaline Grade School and Austin High School, and graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (1948) and a Masters of Science in Soil Science (1950). At university, Ted came under the influence of Professor J.H. Ellis, who imprinted in his mind the variability, vulnerability and capacity of Manitoba soils and the difficulties faced by farm families farming on soils not suited to commercial agriculture. Ted’s career reflected his love of the land. Starting in 1948, he worked with the...

Alfred Poole (1910 to 1988) was born at Kemnay, Manitoba and Edith Alma (Gauld) was born in Dutton, Ontario. Alf spent his younger years near Kemnay and Edith came West with her parents and they settled at Alexander, Manitoba. The Pooles were married in 1937 and raised three children — Edith, James and Marilyn. Alf and Edith worked in harmony to promote agricultural and rural community concerns. Mr. Poole was interested in many activities. For instance, he allowed “Homehill Farm” to be used as a demonstration plot for continuous cropping. Friendly competition in sports and in the show ring ranked high on his list of priorities. Alf participated as a contestant and as a judge for many plowing matches. He...

The women who came to early Manitoba as wives, mothers, teachers and housekeepers deserve a special recognition. Many left comfortable or even luxurious homes in Eastern Canada or in the old countries and came to primitive houses on the bare Prairies. They wrestled with cold in winter and heat in summer. With no conveniences, there was water to carry, wood to split, food to prepare and clothes to make. Gardening, poultry and milking were considered women’s work. Over all, there was loneliness to contend with.Neighbors were miles away and often there was no means of travel. A special mention must be made of the women who came from Europe to start new homes. Along with all the other hardships, there...

Dr. Rudolph Frederick Peterson was one of Canada’s outstanding wheat breeders. He was born in Winnipeg in 1900, graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1930 and from the University of Minnesota in 1933. He married the former Bertha Bowman and they raised two sons. Dr. Peterson began his career as a wheat breeder in 1935 at the former Dominion Laboratory of Cereal Breeding and from 1948 to 1965 served as the head of the cereal breeding section of the research station at Winnipeg. The highlight of his career was the development of the spring wheat variety, Selkirk, that provided resistance to a race of stem rust that occurred as epidemics in 1953 and 1954 in Western Canada and the...

Born in Russian Ukraine, Pete Peters moved to southern Manitoba when he was eleven. After completing his high school in Gretna, Pete took teacher training at the provincial Normal School. In 1943, Pete enlisted in the RCAF. Upon his return from service, he enrolled in the University of Manitoba where he obtained a BSA. He married Bertha Ammeter in 1941 and together they raised two children, Richard and Cindy. In 1955, Pete joined the Extension Service of Manitoba Department of Agriculture as the potato specialist. His early work in potato marketing and variety evaluation paved the way for the commercial potato industry in Manitoba. It was during this period that he earned the nickname “Potato Pete” for his hard work,...

Henry Lewis Patmore, Pioneer Nurseryman of the West, was born in Newport, Essex, England and attended the Newport Grammar School. He came to Canada and first settled in London, Ontario, where he worked in a nursery. From Ontario, Patmore moved west to Brandon and became interested in establishing a nursery. He saw that the settlers had a great need for trees. So in 1888, he purchased the nursery that had been established by a Mr. Brock. In the thirties, he provided hardy shrubs and trees for shelter belts and was quick to spot the adaptability of caragana. He was the first to recognize the value of the Brandon Pyramidal Cedar. Hundreds of thousands of these trees grace the gardens of...