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8-Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, November 7, 1984 Senior Citizens' Bazaar and Tea Last Saturday aftèrnoon County Senior Citizens' tended and had a great selec- The above is but a small Bazaars and Teas were in Recreation Hall west of the tion of items for sale most of section of the display at the vogue in Orono with such Village. which had been prepared by recreation hall. events at Orono United The Senior Citizens' the ladies at the Orono com- Both Bazaars were con- Church and at the Durham bazaar and Tea was well at- plex. sidered successes. Familiar Faces-Places Town of Newcastle Bi-Centennial article by Rhonda Malomet "THE LOVEKINS" The early settlers of the Town of Newcastle settled other areas besides Darl- ington Township. In 1796, Richard Lovekin, originally of Cork, Ireland was one of the first people to receive a land grant in the newly form- ed Township of Clarke. His sixth generation descendent, Judge Eric Richard, "Dick" Lovekin still lives on this pro- perty. The Lovekins through the generations have main- tained a high profile and a steady contribution to the Village of Newcastle. It's a rarity -- at least in Ontario. So unusual in fact, that Ripley's Believe It Or Not wrote it up on April 29, 1978. The same family had been living (still is) on the same property in an un- broken succession of 181 years. It is also something of which Judge Eric Richard "Dick" Lovekin, the sixth generation descendant of one of Clarke's first settlers is proud. Lovekin makes his home today on part of the original Crown deed, west of the Village of Newcastle, along the west side of Wilmot's Creek, south of Highway Two and down to the Lake. And when he stands outside his white clap- board house on the hill and looks south, he can see the broken front, the same view his ancestors doubtless saw as th'ey were clearing the land and making their home in a crude log cabin a few metres away. It was September 1795 when Richard Lovekin of Cork, Ireland, then about 60 years old decided to uproot his family to start a new life in North America. Napoleonic wards which had ravaged the continent took their toll on Ireland in the form of food storages. Close- ly connected with the family of Peter Russell, the presi- dent of Upper Canada at the time, Lovekin no doubt had heard of the promising pro- spects there. Certainly, the long seven month voyage across the Atlantic was worth it for he was granted 1200 acres of virgin soil in Clarke Township shortly after arriv- ing in 1796. The senior Lovekin only lived a year and a half on his new acquisition. So it fell upon his surviving family lead by Richard Junior to clear the land, a task that took nearly 50 years. Life for the Lovekins as for many pioneers was not easy. They lived in the cramped quarters of a small log cabin and had to acclimatize to the severe Canadian winters. In the family papers, says Judge Lovekin is a reference to the fact that the chinks in the cabin were so large that the playing cards would blow about on the table.- It was especially difficult for the women, used to a much softer existence in Ireland. This is best illustrated in the experience of the famous Baldwin family, friends of the Lovekins in Ireland and neighbours to them in Upper Canada. When the men were away, the women were charg- ed with such onerous chores as dragging hay, chopping wood and feeding the livestock. There were also visits from Indians, not to mention wild animals and tramps to be contended with. One time, when a band of thirsty natives demanded whiskey from the Baldwin girls, help was sought at the Lovekin cabin nearby. The Baldwins didn't last long on the land and moved to York to join Dr. William Warren. The Lovekins re- mained. In 1845 the present family hoiestead was built by James Patrickson Lovekin, a son of Richard Junior, His new bride, Isabel Shaw, niece of Colonel Aeneas Shaw was not about to live in a log cabin. More remarkable than the fact that the Lovekins have persisted over the generations on their land is the fact that they've managed to preserve so much of their personal history. Documents, diaries, and letters have all been pass- ed down. One particular relic kept by Judge Lovekin in an antique trunk in his living room provides valuable in- sight into the lives and characters of the early Lovekins. It's a diary started by Richard Junior, continued by James Patrickson. On the thick yellowed pages are hand drawn ink lines and neatly scripted figures. A home made ledger of sorts, it details the daily operation of a growing agricultural establishment. Entries in- clude wages paid out to workers and prices paid for produce. Dick Lovekin chuckles as he points to one particular entry for wages paid for shovelling dung. All told, these entries could pro- vide enough research for a Masters in early Canadian agriculture. Lovekin, though, doesn't find the ledger so unusual for his ancestors of whom he says were well educated men who knew how to run a business. The personal notes scrib- bled on the inside of the back cover of the book are of par- ticular interest. One humorous entry, written by Richard Junior in 1836, speaks of his son Richard At- wood who was always getting into trouble. The entry reads: "paid Henry Munro Esq. ex- penses looking for Richard." Another one below it notes five pounds paid to bail Richard out of jail. A more serious note is about Richard Junior's brother William who in 1839 hadn't been heard from in 35 years. "We figure William went to Texas," says the Judge. North of Houston is a town called Houston. Many Lovekins, thqugh, remained in Canada and mix- ed with the members of the prominent families who made Upper Canada History. In Dick Lovekin's own family tree -- Baldwins and Shaws, there was almost General Isaac Brock too, at Ieast by marriage. Great grandmother Isabel's aunt Sopie Shaw had been engaged to him before he was killed at Queenston Heights. The Lovekins have always had a connection to the mihtary i one way or another. Richard Junior did the militia Roll Call for the war of 1812. Dick Lovekin was an air crew pilot in the se- cond world war. And James Patrickson had such great ad- miration for the Civil War generals of the southern United States that he cor- responded with Stonewall Jackson. A steel engraving of 'him and one of Robert E. Lee hang in Dick Lovekin's fani- ly room. Under Jackson's picture is his signature, cut out from one of the letters. The portraits proved to be an embarrassment when General Maclennon, the scientific soldier who is said to have engineered the North's vic- tory, came to visit. Another Lovekin tradi- tion, which, like the family has perpetuated itself through the generations is one of public service through the law profession. Richard Junior, had been a lawyer in Cork and was a magistrate in Clarke. James Patrickson, true to his initials was a . stice of the peace and in e ch subsequent generation t ere was a male member of t e family who was a justice o the peace. Dick Lovekin h mself is a county Judge at t e Whitby courthouse. Lovekin attributes this s nse of municipal respon- si ility to the family's deep rdots in the area. Sadly though he feels that people are losing this geographic loyalty. In his own family few Lovekins remain in an area where 18 per cent of the population once was made up of Lovekins. Still, Eric Richard Lovekin is hopeful that his own family's tradi- tion of living on the land of his ancestors and public ser- vice will be maintained through his own son, Richard Lovekin. WEEKLY TIMES u il u Il u TELEPHONE (416) 983-530 P.O. BOX 209, ORONO, ONTARIO LOBIMC PRINTING AND PUBLISHING Roy C. Forrester * Letterheads * Envelopes * Business Cards Invoices * Labels * Invitations * Brochures * NCR Forms * Continuous and Snap-Out Forms Clarke - Newcastle Progressive Conservative Party ANNUAL POT LUCK SUPPER & MEETING Friday, November 16th 6 p.m. NEWCASTLE UNITED CHURCH Guest Speaker - Election of Officers Information: Bill 987-4912 Marsha 983-5558 PLEASE BRING HOT DISH ANP0E$ EVERYONE WELCONd Judge E. R. Lovekin The Lovekin Home . .... . ........................ . . ..... .