Remembering our roots ~Bruce & Betty Bishop

John Godsman
Times Contributor

 

Bruce Bishop’s family originated on the Isle of Jersey, in the Channel Islands, in a group of islands between Southern England and France. In 1692, Eleazar Bischoppe (age seven) was abducted by the crew of a British ship, whilst playing with his dog on the beach. The captain was mainly interested in the dog, but as the two were inseparable, both were taken on board. The ship then sailed for New London, Connecticut! On reaching New London, the boy was sold to a tailor named Richard Dart, who paid for the boy’s passage by giving the captain a yoke of oxen. Richard Dart took the boy as his own, and brought him up with his family. By the mid-1700’s, the English colonies were becoming overcrowded and its inhabitants were eager to find new farmland. History shows about 8,000 New Englanders moved to Nova Scotia, in the late 1600’s. The original farmers were known as Acadians, and arrived around 1685, favouring the fertile marshlands on which to grow their grain. The English arrived in 1750, and a group known as Planters arrived in Horton, N.S. from New England in 1760-61.
Bruce’s geneology document shows a Deacon Peter Bishop was honoured for his part in founding the oldest continuing Baptist Church in Canada, having been organized at Wolfville in 1778. Acadia University founded by the Baptists in 1838, counted many people with the surname ‘Bishop’ as graduates over the years. Further generations of ‘Bishops’ have involved themselves in church-related offices and activities: from missionaries, ministers, priests, stewards, etc.
Bruce’s father was a coal miner, and as he followed a coal seam on his knees, would fill a gunny sack with coal, then push it out behind him as he moved along the seam. After mining he became a stonemason and carpenter.
Bruce was born at Chipman, N.B. on July 20, 1945 the fourth child of six. He attended school in Chipman, graduating in 1964, then joined the RCMP. Basic training was completed in Ottawa, then he was posted to Banff. He served in different communities across Southern Alberta for 25 years, attaining the rank of Corporal. In 1984, he was posted to Strathmore and has been here ever since! He retired from the RCMP in 1989, and attended SAIT in Calgary, taking his journeyman carpenters license. For the next 23 years, he worked and enjoyed his chosen trade, before retiring in 2013. As he says, a carpenter never really retires, he’s always being asked to do some small job!
Betty’s mother’s maiden name was Farley, and geneology documents trace the name back to Somerset in England, where they held a family seat from very early times. The name is a descendent of British Royalty, first appearing during the reign of Charles First.
Betty’s mother’s father emigrated from England to Canada in the early 1900’s, and settled in the Porcupine Plain area of Saskatchewan. Initially he worked for the CPR, before becoming a farmer. Betty’s father’s descendants, were Russian and settled in southern Manitoba. Betty was born in Carmen, Man. in 1944, the eldest of two children. Her family name was ‘Dueck.’ She advises that she and her sister travelled by train from Winnipeg to Calgary in July 1965 to attend The Calgary Stampede. Afterwards they continued to Banff, where her parents managed the Banff Motel. She met Bruce in Banff, and they were married in Sept 1967, have two children born in Brooks, while Bruce was stationed there with the RCMP, and five grandchildren. When the children were born, Betty became a stay-at-home mom. When they moved to Strathmore, she took a rural mail delivery contract for Canada Post. Unfortunately, ill health forced her to give up that job after quite a number of years.
Bruce’s community activities include spending five years as a member of Kinsman in Brooks, and for the past 38 years he has been a member of Lion’s International serving in all club offices numerous times, zone chairman, cabinet secretary, and he served one year as district governor. Betty was a Kinette and Lioness for approximately 20 years.
The Alberta 55 Plus Summer Games will be held in Strathmore from July 16t-19, 2015 and Bruce has already volunteered to be the director of volunteers, and invites others to volunteer.
When I asked what changes they had seen over the past 30 years, Bruce reminded me of the book published in 1986 – “Strathmore – the Village That Moved.” A new book is required, called “Strathmore – The Town That Moved, Again” from downtown to the highway!
There has been substantial population growth. In 1984 the population was around 2,700, and now it’s over 12,000.