1 Feb 1921 census for Bjerringbro, Hjerminde sogn, Middelsom herred, Viborg Amt
name, sex, birthdate, marital status, birthplace, date of arrival in parish, last residence, church, position, occupation, place employed or 'A' if unemployed.
Oluf Pedersen, M, 21/12/1878, G, Bøgelund Skælskør, 1913, Fuglebjerg, Folkekirken, Husfader, Karetmagersven, A. (unemployed),
Johanne Pedersen, K, 30/6/1878, G, Ryde Ringkøbing, 1913, Fuglebjerg, do, Husmoder
Ricarat Pedersen, M, 14/1/1902, U, Gulev Viborg, 1913, do, do, Logerende, Maskinarbejder, Thestrups Maskinfabrik
Nanna Pedersen, K, 24/3/1905, U, Hjermind do, 1913, do, do, Logerende, Husassistent, Maler Jacobsen Gullev
Rigmor Pedersen, K, 21/2/1908, U, Gullev do, 1913, do, - , Barn
Harry Pedersen, M, 4/5/1910, U, Hjermind do, 1913, do, - , Barn
Thomas Thomsen, M, ?/1873, U, Horsens, 1919, - , - , Arbejdsmand, A. Triske Aarhus
Trips home to Denmark -
Mother only: 1934 (with Eric and Ruth),
Dad only: 1951, 1962, 1968,
Both: 1946 (with Harold), 1965, 1971 (with Ruth), 1974, 1978, 1983.
The following was written by Eric in 1991 and read by him at father's funeral.
OUR FATHER
Our father was a child of God, and now lives in the presence of God.
I remember how he lived out his faith in God. When the trans-Canada paipeline was being laid from Hardisty to Edmonton, Dad obtained all their equipment repair business. It was a major account for him.
One Saturday afternoon they came and got a spare shaft we kept on hand, because they were always breaking this piece of equipment. Sunday morning they called Dad and wanted another shaft made. They had broken it again. Dad told them that the shop was closed on Sundays. Thereby he put at risk business from his biggest customer. But, he said, I can have a man turning the shaft at 1 am on Monday morning. I was that machinist.
His word was as good as a bond. I remember when he stopped driving his old car. A neighbor offered him 3000 dollars for it, but he said it was worth only 2000. That was what he sold it for.
Dad often took us fishing to Dried Meat Lake, Lake Minnewanka in Banff and Buck Lake too. He climbed with us in Banff. He took us duck hunting. He was generous with us.
He knew what it was (to) struggle through the depression, working 18 hour days to support his growing family. He provided us with a variety of experiences and encouraged us to try different things. He bought or made us tools and encouraged us to work with our hands. And we all do, to this day.
As we visited him while he was at Bethany Care Center here in Camrose, we observed the tender-loving-care that the staff exhibited toward him. We heard from them how he had won their hearts with his cheerfulness.
But more importantly, he accepted our decisions as to what we would do with our lives. He encouraged us to get a good education, inasmuch as he did not have that opportunity. If he did not agree with what we did or decided,he still supported us as persons. That was a great gift.
But above this, in our home, he and mother provided for us a Christian home where Christ was loved and honored. He led us each day in a period of family devotions. It was at these times we learned countless hymns. And so we rejoice that Dad is now in the heavenly mansions prepared for those who love the Lord.
And so let us hear those glorious words of the gospel in John 14.
-- Eric Pedersen
The following was recorded by Ralph Pedersen in January 1982 in conversation with his father.
s old worked for a tinsmith, 12 years old worked in a bakery. In both of these jobs the money he brought home was handed over to his father. Age 13-15 worked in a sawmill cutting fir and oak for a furniture making business. He went to school in the morning and worked in the mill in the afternoons until 6pm. From January 1917 to January 1921, age 15 to 19, he was an apprentice in a machine shop. The first year was spent wielding a 10 pound hammer for 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. He got 75› per week for 60 hours work. The blacksmith would pull the hot iron out of the forge and Richard would hit it. 'I came home so tired I couldn't do anything else but I would still have to go out and weed in the garden. I had no thought of quitting because I didn't like the work. We just went through with it.' The second year he was sent out to paint machinery. The third year was spent working and learning on the lathe. The fourth year he assembled machinery including erecting large windmills mostly for farmers. His pay was $4 per week. In 1921 he got work in Silkeborg in a machine shop and worked there until he came to Camrose. The work was fixing gas meters and lathe work.'
rom June 1st to September 30th I worked on a farm. The first farmer paid me $1 a day plus food and a bed in a granary. I worked there 2 months. Then in harvest I worked for a farmer getting paid $4 a day shocking (14 days) and $5 a day threshing (19 days). In October 1928 I got work as a mechanic at the Ford garage (McAfee Motors). I was paid $20 per week. I was there from 1928 to 1931. The last 2 years I was the shop foreman and made $30 per week. The hours were 8am to 6pm but I often worked longer with no extra pay. I had made up my mind that if I could save up enough money to send for Anna in that first year, then I would stay. I not only saved enough to send for her but I bought a piece of land for $40, paid $125 for a small house, dug a hole for a cellar and put a foundation 12 ft. x 20 ft. under the house.
From 1931 to 1934 I leased a machine shop. The contract was that 25 cents out of ever dollar went to Dahl from whom I had leased the machine shop. I had one man working for me. I did the work on the Ford cars, the other man did the machine shop work. I had the reputation that if a part of any machine was broken I could fix it or make a new one. Those were tough years. I worked long hours, often far into the night in order to make it go. When Dahl's son-in-law came back and took over I went into partnership with Grenway. From 1934 to 1938 I was in a partnership - 'Grenway & Pedersen Chrysler Dealer' with a garage and machine shop. Grenway went to war and I
didn't have enough money to buy him out so I rented a building and started my own business in 1938 - a garage and machine shop. In 1939 I built a new garage. In 1940 I got the Nash dealership but only got one car. In 1949 or 50 I got one Nash; in 1951 I started getting more cars. In 1952 I built a new garage. Those were some tight times economically as people didn't pay their accounts.' (In 1955 Dad showed me where the accounts were carrying $11,000 - $12,000. = about $100,000 in 2012 dollars) 'In 1954 I built a new machine shop half a block away from the garage. In 1955 I got the Volkswagen franchise. In 1966 I sold the garage and in 1975 sold the machine shop.'
k I moved 14 times in 14 years and when I was a little older I said to myself, 'when I get married I will own my own home, not rent, and stay there.' When we moved so often we got behind in school. I bought the house at 5211 - 48 A Avenue for $1000. I had $400 and borrowed $600 from the Royal Bank of Canada. I had 12 month to pay it back. Before 6 month I had paid it all. I've been satisfied in Camrose. I haven't regretted it for one day. It helps to have had a good wife.'
e babies till they get up to 2 years and then I don't care much for them'.' (Dad overheard this when his mother was talking to some other woman.) 'My mother was a kind woman.' (Anna - 'Dad's dad was a somewhat harsh man, too strict.') (Richard) 'My father never had any patience. When I was 8 I had a small instrument. He was going to teach me. He was trying to tell me something and I was looking out the window at the boys playing. He said, 'You are not interested in that so you might as well to out and play'. That was the end of the instrument.'
t. When I would go home after being gone, say a month, there was not even a hand shake. I can't say we took around (hugged) our parents at anytime and visa versa. It was a lot harder to explain how you feel. We kept it in our selves.'
o Camrose (by Harold) in about
1986. Dad, at that time had some difficulty speaking. In talking with Dad, he said he reads but forgets what was read. He found talking to people difficult, as he can 'see' what he wants to say, but cannot find the word. He can't write in English (any longer) as he finds English difficult, but has not the Danish vocabulary. Given time and patience, he could make his story understood, however.
ngbro. After a couple of years, about half way through his apprenticeship he was laid off due to no work in the area. His father on learning this responded with, 'well, you can always go work on the farm'. Dad would have nothing to do with that and bicycled 12 miles to Silkeborg where he applied for a job as machinist with a machine company there. He was hired, and found out subsequently from one of his two co-workers that because he had been wearing a lapel pin of a Christian organization, the owner had hired him. The owner was also a Christian. Dad was made the head machinist in the firm. As well, the owner had a brother who had a machinery business, and when there was too little business at one firm, Dad would be sent to the other to do work there. Dad found the owner a fine man to work for and worked there until he went to Canada.
e in 1929 serving as couch by day and bed by night. The dining room furniture was bought shortly after marriage.
In 2010 Eric wrote the following recollections about Dad.
I worked with Dad in the garage and the machine shop. I recall a number of things about the garage and the machine shop, but they are mostly things about the physical shop and not so much about Dad. I do recall being in the cold building next to McPhee's when Dad started in business for himself. It was a dark place, poorly lit. Dad worked long hours every day, often 14-16 hours to make it go. I recall that he never turned a request for work down, even if the client could not pay - It was the depth of the 1930's Depression. There was, he said, always the possibility that some day the client would or could pay. Even after he moved to the new premises opposite the Bus Depot, he was very gentle toward people who could not pay. He did employ a collection agency's process, but after polite letters proceeding to more demanding letters to threatening court action, Dad never did go to court. Even when I closed his final affairs there was still a record of a dozen or so small outstanding accounts from the 30's and 40's that had never been paid. Dad's word was as good as a signed document. When he said something he stood by it even when it cost him hundreds of dollars.
I recall one engine in a Dodge car (a T120 flat-head six) that Dad
s shop had overhauled. Rebored, ground valves, new conrod shells and new main bearing shells, new gaskets - the works. The car had come in with a thrown rod. The bill was a couple hundred dollars. Within a week the customer was back - the engine had thrown a rod again. Dad (and his shop) did the work all over again. No charge to the customer. In a week it happened again. We surmised that when the engine threw the rod in the first place it had damaged the crankshaft, but this was not known or evident until Dad took it to Edmonton to have it radio-balance checked. It was bent. It was straightened, the engine was repaired for the third time, and the customer sent on his way - no charge.
When I worked in the Machine shop we kept an extra shaft for the dragline machine that the Pipeline company building the Trans-Canada Oil Pipeline used. They broke many shafts. One Saturday we had installed the spare shaft and on Sunday morning early they called Dad. They wanted work started on a new shaft immediately. They said they had 70 men idle because of the breakdown. Dad said,
We installed the spare yesterday, and we don
t work on Sundays. There was an explosion at the other end of the phone line. Dad politely said,
We don
t work on Sunday.
siness elsewhere. (It was significant) Dad again repeated that the Machine Shop was closed on Sunday
s, but that he could have someone turning the new shaft at 1:00 AM on Monday morning. That was I. But Dad stood by his principles, both then and on many occasions. He was always fair with customers and with his work staff. He expected his work staff to perform, faithfully, just as he would have himself. He fired only the incompetent who either could not or would not learn, and they were few. Most of his employees were with him for many years.
Mother was generally the disciplinarian. Dad simply left it to her to do. Together with Norman Mozel (the son of the town barber, who was my senior by a couple of years, I was 7 or 8) we entered the Big 4 warehouse which stood about 3-4 feet off the ground on posts and the big sliding doors were open much of the time. Norm convinced me that all the stuff in the warehouse didn
t belong to anyone and was free for the taking - talk about a naive kid! We rummaged around and found silverware and other 'stuff' of somebody's goods that were in storage. We took a number of items and hid them in the sawdust under the building. I did not know it at the time, but Norman took a camera home with him. When Norman's father saw the camera, he asked where he had gotten it. Norman concocted the unlikely story that he had met an old man on the street who had given it to him since that man had said, 'I don't need it anymore.' Well! Norman's Dad did not believe him and told the town cop (Many years before the RCMP became Camrose's police. Norm told the cop the same story, and that I had been with him. Norm came down to our house - he and I were often together - and told me to repeat the same story when the town cop came. Well! The town cop did come - to our house, and was Mother ever chagrin! He took me to our front lawn, where Mother could not hear, and questioned me. I confessed to the whole affair in the warehouse. Mother found out, of course from the cop, but never said a thing. Some time previously I had stolen a dime from Ruth's dresser. For that I was scolded and warned never to steal again. When Dad came home and heard the story from Mother, Dad took me down in the basement, took my pants down and spanked with a piece of 2X4 wood. I could not sit for three days and ate, standing at the table. Many, many years later when Miriam and I and visited Shirley and Ernie in Edmonton we picked them up at Norman Mozel
s place (they had been friends with the Mozels for many years) I reminded Norm of the event - he had completely forgotten it. Today the treatment I got would be cause for a charge of
child abuse.
cessive. It was the only time, first and last, that Dad punished me. Perhaps that is why I recall it.
Dad took me fishing any number of times at Dried Meat Lake. On one such occasion we fished, always from a row boat, trolling, and in two hours we caught over 60 jackfish.. We were trolling 3 lines and we could not keep them clear of fish. Another time we took Prince with us, and that Lab loved it. When we were down near the southern end of Dried Meat Lake, Prince decided he want to swim, so he jumped out of the boat. we were not able to entice him back into the boat so he swam the full five miles back to the landing. We went fishing once at Buck Lake (40 miles west of Wetaskiwin.) We caught jackfish (northern pike) and perch ( still-fishing), but though Perch taste good we didn't like them - too many bones. I believe Ruth was along to Buck Lake. Dad and I often went Duck hunting in the fall, again often with Prince who proved to be very adept and finding what we shot, even diving under the ice on the sloughs to get them. One of those times Dad decided we didn't need Prince as we were going on a field shoot. Prince was lock in the big dog house we had. Mother said that Prince started to howl the minute we left and could not be silenced. He could smell the guns, of course. When we returned there was no way that Prince would allow us to touch him or talk to him - he was totally miffed as if to say, 'It isn't possible to hunt without me.' One wet rainy, cold day when there was ice on the slough ten miles north of Camrose - the one we always had to, drive around, we hunted there and Prince sat in the rushes and shivered. On the way back he refused to get into the car - insisted on running and so Dad let him run behind the car in the sloppy mud - he was a mud-dog when we got home and slept for two days.
Perhaps Ruth can tell you more about the following: She was coming home at Christmas from Minneapolis when she was in nurses' training, or was it LBI, and she asked to drive home from Edmonton. On the corner turning north on to the dam bridge she lost control on the snow and ice and crash our 1939 Chrysler Royal through an 8' square bridge post and a 6' tree below before coming to a stop. Neither were hurt (as I recall ) when they came walking home. But the front of the car was a mess. I don't think Dad ever scolded Ruth because of that, but at the garage I heard him say that the car never really looked the same again, because he was not able to get the proper grill repairs. There were other repercussions. Ruth refused to drive. One of the following summers I took a group of leaguers to a convention at Christopher Lake north of Prince Albert. I don't recall all the details - but I may have driven from Camrose to pick them up and bring them back the same day. Anyway, I had gotten so tired that I could not safely drive and in the car Ruth was the only one with a Driver's License. She did not want to drive but I made her drive. For an hour of so she was a white-knuckle driver, but then she relaxed and she drove, and I slept.
One of the times I visited the folks when we lived in Calgary, I sat with Dad in his study, and we talked about European custom of son following in father's occupation, as often happening, even among Europeans who immigrated to North America, because it often happened that sons would receive training in their father's occupation. I asked Dad if he had ever felt badly that none of his five sons had ever expressed a desire to follow him in the business which he spent many years building up. He sat and thought for some minutes, then he said: 'No, I had only a grade 8 education and it has given me immense pleasure that all six of my children have gone on from High School to get degrees from some post secondary institution. That was often not an option for children in the 'old country' when we were growing up.
This is an account by Harold of the sale of Dad's garage business in 1966.
In 1966 I worked for Dad after coming home from university. Dad sold his garage in 1966 to Nick Adams of Adams Motors, Wetaskiwin. Adams was planning to expand his business to Camrose. My job was to take inventory. Dad took me through the last few annual financial statements of the garage that had been prepared by his accountant and commented that he would share the financial statements with Adams but thought that he might not show him the one year where the garage ran a small deficit. Dad was impressed by Adams and stated to me that “Adams was a businessman to the tips of his fingers.”
When Adams took over the management of the garage he hired CFCW, the Camrose radio station, to broadcast from the garage and advertise a sale of new American Motors cars. Art Hirsch, the parts manager, complained to Adams that he was offering such a low price that there was no profit. Adams replied that for the advertising period, he did not care if he did not make a profit on the cars he sold. Adams also ran a contest on CFCW that day where people could come to the garage, estimate how much it would cost to fill up with gas, and if they were within a range ($0.25)? - I do not recollect the amount) their gas was free. A lot of cars lined up to get gas and quite a few people got their gas for free. As a contest, however, it had a downside as people who were close, but missed the range were annoyed and complained.
As part of the garage sale price Dad had included a new American Motors Ambassador from the next new car year. The day of the sale, Adams took several Polaroid pictures and gave a couple of them to me. They show Harold Pedersen, Richard Pedersen, Nick Adams and the manager that Adams hired to run the garage. For whatever reasons, in less than a year, Adams was having difficulty with the Camrose business. He complained to Dad that he had paid too high a price and wanted to avoid or delay delivery of the new American Motors Ambassador as contracted. Dad commented to me that he discussed the request with his lawyer and was advised to maintain the original terms of the agreement. The lawyer said that if he changed the agreement he exposed himself to opening the agreement to further changes. Dad took possession of the car as originally agreed.
To me, Dad's many years of successfully managing the business, negotiating its sale and subsequent negotiations demonstrated that Dad was the one who had a businessman's acumen. I also think that Dad's smile, captured in the picture taken the day of the sale, expresses his satisfaction with the sale!
The following is an account by Paul of the day that father died:
When I came home to Camrose, Dad was unconscious. Since he had been unable to speak for a couple of years, it was difficult to know if he understood what we said to him. For the past while he had refused to eat and it was clear that he would die soon. Ruth and Ralph were already there. The three of us were going together to the hospital to sit with dad. Mother did not come that day but she asked me to read to dad from the Bible and pray with him. After we had been sitting around dad's bed for a while, I told the others of mom's request, took Dad's Bible and read the opening verses of the twenty-first chapter of Revelation '...he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away...' After the reading we all prayed the Lord's Prayer together. Then my sister started to sing the hymn 'Children of the Heavenly Father Safely in his bosom gather'. While we were singing, father stopped breathing. Tears streaming down, we sang all four verses, finishing 'Though he giveth or he taketh, God his children ne'er forsaketh; His the loving purpose solely To preserve them pure and holy.' Father's death brought to remembrance the words of Horatio's farewell to the dying Hamlet, 'and flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest.' And so they did as we, his children, wept.
Canadian Government Return
Canadian Immigration Service
Sheet No. 15 for Third Class passengers on the Montroyal, Volume 6, Page 70
Sailing from Southhampton May 15th 1928 and arriving at Quebec, May 23, 1928.
Line
Question
Response
1 - Line (on first page) - 12
2 - Family Name, Given name - Pedersen Eynon
3 - Relationship - none
4 - Age Male - 26
5 - Age Female
6 - Single, Married, Widowed, Divorced - Single
7 - Country and place of birth - Denmark Gullev
8 - Nationality (Country of which a citizen or subject) - Danish
9 - Race or People - Danish
10 - If in Canada before, between what periods - No
11 - If in Canada before, at what address - No
12 - Ever refused entry to or deported from Canada? - No
13 - Do you intend to reside permanently in Canada? - Yes
14 - Can you read? - Yes
15 - What language - English
16 - By whom was passage paid? - Self
17 - Line (on second page) - 19
18 - What trade or occupation did you follow in your own country? - Machinist
19 - What trade or occupation do you intend to follow in Canada? - Farmer Job
20 - If destined to relative, friend or employer, state which and give name and full address. If not joining any person in Canada give the address in Canada to which you are going - c/o Danish Immigration Aid Society, 460 Main Street, Winnipeg
21 - Give name, relationship and address of your nearest relative in the country from which you came. If a wife or children are to follow you later to Canada, give names and ages. - Father, Mr. I. Pedersen, Villa Engvanga Bjerringbro
22 - Have you or any of your family ever been mentally defective? - no
23 - Have your or any of your family ever been physically defective? - no
24 - Have you or any of your family ever been tubercular? - no
25 - Passport number, place and date of issue - 5058 Selkeborg 5.5.28
26 - Money in possession belonging to passenger - $50
27 - Travelling inland on - CPR
28 - Action Taken and Civil Examiner - Landed Immigrant
EMPRESS OF BRITAIN / MONTROYAL 1906
The EMPRESS OF BRITAIN was built for the Canadian Pacific Line by Fairfield Shipbuilding, Glasgow in 1906. She was a 14,189 gross ton vessel, length 548.8ft x beam 65.7ft, two funnels, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 18 knots. There was accommodation for 310-1st, 470-2nd and 750-3rd class passengers. Launched on 11/11/1905 she sailed from Liverpool on her maiden voyage to Quebec on 5/5/1906. Both the EMPRESS OF BRITAIN and her sister ship, the ill-fated EMPRESS OF IRELAND were the fastest ships on the Canada service at the time. On 22/7/1912, she rammed and sank the SS HELVETIA in fog off Cape Magdeleine in the lower St Lawrence River. In 1914 she was converted to an Armed Merchant Cruiser and joined Admiral Stoddart's squadron in the SouthAtlantic. She later patrolled between Cape Finisterre and the Cape Verde Islands. In May 1915 she was recommisioned as a troop transport and carried more than 110,000 troops to the Dardanelles, Egypt and India as well as Canadian and US expeditionary forces across the NorthAtlantic. On 12/12/1915 while passing through the Straits of Gibraltar, she collided with and sank a Greek steamer. In March 1919 she resumed the Liverpool - St.John NB service for one round voyage and was then converted from coal to oil fuel and her passenger accommodation was modernised. On 1/9/1920 she returned to the Liverpool - Quebec service and in Oct.1922 commenced running between Southampton - Cherbourg - Quebec. In 1924 she was renamed MONTROYAL and her accommodation altered to carry 600-cabin and 800-3rd class passengers, returning to the Liverpool - Quebec service on 19/4/1924. In 1926 her accommodation was again altered to carry cabin, tourist and 3rd class and she made eight trips a year through 1926 and the following year was transferred to the Antwerp - Southampton - Cherbourg - Quebec route. She commenced her final voyage from Antwerp on 7/9/1929 and was then laid up after making a total of 190 round voyages on the North Atlantic. On 17/6/1930 she was sold to the Stavanger Shipbreaking Co. and was scrapped. The owner of the Sola Strand Hotel bought the lounge from the shipbreakers and incorporated it into his hotel as the Montroyal Ballroom. The beautiful woodwork is still a feature of this building which now houses the Norwegian School for Hotel Management.
