Record of a Life — Northcote H. Caesar
“The earliest memories that I can remember, at probably 5 or 6 yearsWhilst sitting on a hassock in front of the nursery fireWith a nice clean white pinafore on about half a dozen shot fell in my lapMaking long black strips down my pinnyAnd in my lap and being very distressed about the dirty pinnyProbably would not have been if I had done it myselfBut it turned out that a boy on the other side of the riverWas shooting starlings and shot had failed down the chimney into my lapBut no damage was done except to my pinky and peace of mindAnother time I took a piece of horseradish off the kitchen tableAnd chewed it up, poisoning myself quite seriously it seemsAs I was prayed for in the Village Church on two SundaysAnd I have always remembered the jar of leeches up on the shelfNasty slimy things I thought them to be, but only one was used on meI still have vivid recollections of all that happened to me”1
As we celebrate our families on Family Day2 it is important to remember that recording our family histories — be it with documents, photographs, scrapbooks or electronic formats — is important. The quotation above is from the memoir of a local pioneer, Northcote Caesar.
The Lake Country Museum and Archives has many documented family histories such as Northcote Caesar’s (above). If you have family histories that you would like to share or donate to the archives, please contact the Lake Country Museum and Archives.
1Record of a Life — Northcote H. Caesar is part of Life Histories. Historical Manuscripts of the District of Lake Country and is available in the archives of the Lake Country Museum and Archives as well as online.
2 Family Day in British Columbia is on the first Monday of February. In 2015 Family Day is celebrated of Monday, February 9th.