Remembering our roots ~ Ken & Ruth Van Bavel

John Godsman
Times Contributor

 

The William and Mary Van Bavel family originated in Belgium, where they had five children, and moved to Canada in 1910. Father Van Aken, an agent for CPR, brought the Van Bavels to a location northeast of Strathmore, which in 1908 was called the District of Akenstad. He was responsible for assisting immigrants to start homesteading and get employment. William got work constructing the irrigation system for the CPR, and later became a second ditch rider, using a slip and a team of Clydesdale horses, which he had used in Belgium. When the ground was frozen during the winter, the ditch riders cared for the horses. In 1917, William had purchased a farm in the Elwood District, on the Rockyford Road. But, before the family could move there, he had a fatal heart attack in the Strathmore Hotel, and passed away at the young age of 45, leaving his widow Mary with their five children: Annie, identical twins Joe and Jack, John and Kathleen. They did eventually move to the farm where the boys did the farming. Joe and twin brother Jack worked the family farm in the Elwood District as partners for 10 years. Elizabeth Koester was born in Iowa in 1911, moving with her family in 1929, to Rockyford. She met and married Joe Van Bavel (Ken’s father) in 1932.
Ken was born at Mrs. McKenzie’s Nursing home in Strathmore on Feb. 23, 1934, the second oldest of six children. He attended school at Elwood, Akenstead and Strathmore. He then worked on an uncle’s farm at Rockyford.
Ruth’s grandfather, James Henry Sammons was born Feb. 3, 1871 in Vinton, Iowa and married Jenny May Rarey on Sept. 7 1897, in Greswald, Iowa.
In 1908, grandfather James Henry came to the Strathmore area where he purchased land from the CPR, before returning to Iowa. In 1910, he brought his family, including four children, to the Gleichen farm. Two more children were born here. Ruth’s father Floyd had been born in Pottowattomie County, Iowa in 1906, so was four years old when he came to Canada. I’m told that when Floyd was 98 years old, he could still tell you where he was born!
Ruth’s great-grandfather on her mother’s side was James C Hutchison born in Ormiston, Que. in 1862. He moved to Morris, Ill. and dairy farmed there for 35 years, marrying Barbara Cavers in 1908, then moving to Gleichen in 1913 to land he purchased from the CPR. Her grandfather James Walter Hutchison, born Nov. 22, 1887, married Emma L. Page on Sept. 8, 1908. He hauled gravel during construction of the High Level Bridge in Edmonton, before moving back to his Gleichen farm in 1914. Ruth’s mother Lillian was born at Morris, Ill. on Feb. 12, 1910. Ruth was born May 29, 1938 on the family farm at Gleichen, the second of two children. She attended Cluny School from Grade 1 to Grade 10 then worked for the Bank of Nova Scotia in Calgary, before moving to the CIBC in Gleichen where she worked for 10 years.
Ken and Ruth met while Ken was working for Albert Desmet, and they were married on June 1, 1957. They have four sons and two daughters, and now have 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Following their marriage they took over the Hutchison family farm which was three miles north of Gleichen, and farmed it for the next 40 years, before selling it in 2000, and retiring to Strathmore. The Sammons farm is still operated by Ruth’s brother Jim Sammon, with son David.
Their community activities included – Ken was a member of Gleichen Lions Club, Branch #13 of the Gleichen Legion #13, the Curling Club, and enjoyed hockey and baseball. Ruth worked with 4-H Sewing Club. Ruth now volunteers at the Strathmore Legion every Wednesday evening, as a member of the bingo committee.
There were 6,990 residents when they moved here in the spring of 2000. The greatest changes are the new technologies for farming.