Re: Tackaberry of Lions Head, ON or Wiarton
-
In reply to:
Re: Tackaberry of Lions Head, ON or Wiarton
Melissa Tackaberry 5/11/10
Hi Melissa,
Sorry I haven't responded to your post but I've not been on this site for awhile.
I don't have any more useful information for you on the Tackaberry history but I have a few stories you might find interesting (although you may have heard them from your family).
Your grandfather Elwood used to come over to my father's garage (White's) - ask your dad about this as he would remember my dad Carman. Elwood always had a big smile and was one of the friendliest people in Lion's Head.I remember two things in particular about him.First, he seemed to always be winning something when he bought a ticket for a charity. As a child growing up, I thought he was the luckiest man in Lion's Head. Second, he sometimes would talk about the days when he played baseball for Lion's Head.I think this was probably in the 1940's and maybe early 1950's as my dad was in high school.I remember my dad telling me that the high school had a good senior baseball team and they thought they would challenge the adult team to a game.Needless to say, it wasn't much of a contest.Elwood was the pitcher and struck many of my dad's friends out.For his part, my dad said he didn't do much better and the HS team went home with their tail between their legs - learning several very valuable life lessons, respect your elders and watch how who you challenge to a baseball game!
I never heard your grandfather boast about his pitching or the great Lion's Head baseball team he was on.However, an old blind gentleman named Harry Taylor, who would come into my dad's business almost every day, said that this Lion's Head baseball team defeated many (most!) of the teams they played, with your grandfather usually providing excellent pitching. I think they won a number of championships during these years against the teams they played from around Bruce County.It sounds like your grandfather was a big star and could really wind up and throw the ball!
I think your dad may have been taught by my mother (my mother was a teacher).Her name was Nita Warder before she married my dad - I'm sure your dad would remember if he had been taught by her.My mom knew everyone in the area and her family, the Warders, were very good friends with some of the Tackaberrys.For example, I remember every fall in November, meeting several Tackaberry gentleman (Cecil, Roy?) who made the trek to my grandfather's ranch (Walter Warder) in St. Edmunds township to go deer hunting. I don't know whether your dad or grandfather ever hunted but it was a time when my grandfather and some of my uncles would renew their friendship with some of the Tackaberrys who had grown up (and moved away) in the Lion's Head area.
Where I live now, Brockville, has many Tackaberrys.I have not figured out the connection.One gentleman, George Tackaberry, reminds me of the early Tackaberrys who came to Lion's Head.He owns a large paving company and by all accounts was very entrepreneurial as a young man.The Lion's Head Tackaberrys and Carters were the same - smart with land and land development, owning general stores, and other businesses. My grandfather admired how adept the Tackaberrys were as businessmen (and women!!) and even commented on this in his book - Between You and Me and the Gatepost.
Your great-grandfather (always called Ernie when I was young), was the favorite hangout for my Warder uncles on a Saturday night when they were young.They would make the faithful pilgrimage to his store and listen to Foster Hewitt on Hockey Night in Canada on the radio. It is hard to believe in our time, when many people have one or more 1080p HD and 3D LCD TV, that someone who had a good radio in the 1930's and 1940's was well off. Boy have times ever changed! Even in my lifetime, I've seen technology go from really bad black and white TV reception (in the 1960's) with one channel in Lion's Head, to the above aforementioned TV technology (with near perfect picture quality!) and a seemingly infinite choice of channels with Satellite inLion's Head. However, I'm sure you've heard similar stories from your dad.My children find it hard to believe that there was a time before facebook, ipods, multichannel color HDTV and laptops.Hard to believe.
Anyway, enough stories.Does your family still live in the Owen Sound area (the BIG city when I was young)?I think I remember something about your dad living there from what my parents said many years ago.He is an accountant, isn't he?
Kind regards,
Brian