THE BACKSTORY – Joni Mitchell’s Coe Hill Connection
Much of the following information is courtesy of Ernest (Ernie) Pattison; local historian also the former owner of The Old School Teahouse where many enjoyed a relaxing, refreshing ‘English’ tea and from where numerous book launchings took off.
“I think old English or traditional English would describe what type of tea room we had. We had the term ‘Educated Dining’ on our signs and menu as we served dinners on occasion. We served traditional full afternoon tea. This was often mistakenly called ‘high tea’.” (E.P.)
Some Background Information
Maria (pronounced Mariah) Nugent (Joni Mitchell’s great grandmother) was born in 1856, Limerick Township, to Irish parents Patrick & Jeane Nugent. She married James Henderson at the age of 17 on December 15, 1873 at Madoc, Ontario. Nine months and four days later she gave birth to her first son, Robert, followed by 3 more sons and then twin boys one of which died at birth. In 1887 she gave birth to Sarah Jane (‘Sadie’), her only daughter.
In 1899, at the age of 49, James died. Eventually all but Maria and son Daniel moved out west to Saskatchewan and Alberta. Maria is pictured here with Dan, his wife Kate (nee Green) and their children. They named their farm “The Evergreens” and were apparently “quite successful”. Dan died in 1940, during WW2 and Maria died just two months later.
While Maria was visiting her sons and daughter out west – apparently from 1911 to 1917, she met a Mrs. Wark who invited Maria to travel to California where they took in the Tournament of Roses Parade at Pasadena. At a later date Maria commented that this trip was the highlight of her life. It was a break from the rugged pioneer life that a 17-year old had faced as a new bride. “If only she could have known that her great granddaughter Joni would also find her way to the Golden State.”
Their Scottish family history dates to 1870 when they arrived in Canada. Religion was an important part of everyday pioneer life. One year James Henderson decreed that in addition to the daily scripture reading; the 13th Chapter of 1 Corinthians would also be read. James told his daughter Sadie and her 5 brothers that the “repetition of this passage for 365 days would not hurt them”. Love, as described in 1 Corinthians 13, is best understood as a way of life, lived in imitation of Jesus Christ, that is focused not on oneself but on the “other” and his or her good. Love is about action, how a person lives for the Lord and obeys him and how a person lives for others and serves them. Eventually Joni set those verses to music, simply titled “Love” which was released in 1982 on her album “Wild Things Run Fast”.
The Ridge – A column in the North Hastings Review, 1911, about life on The Ridge mentioned the house built by Dan Henderson, Sadie’s brother, in 1904 which featured plaster walls, a rarity in rural areas. It mentions R. Henderson, formerly of The Ridge, teaching school in Sedgwick Alberta adding that he passed two Queens University courses, Mental Philosophy and Senior German. A Glasgow man visiting The Ridge remarked that Mr. William Bird has one of the best herds of cows that he ever saw. Ernie Pattison thinks this must have been just before the tragic fire that took the lives of William Pattison and his nephews Freddy and Clayton Bird. Of note the Moore’s then purchased this property and built a house in 1911. Layne Moore’s great grandfather Philip Embury, carpenter, helped build both the “Henderson” house in 1904 and the Moore house in 1911 or 1912.
The accompanying photo of four of Sadie’s cousins skating on a pond at The Ridge was taken in 1922. Sadie’s life after she left Ontario for Saskatchewan in 1906 was not a particularly happy one. In 1922 she and her husband separated leaving Sadie to run the farm while caring for 4 young children, ages 4-13. The depression years saw crop failure after crop failure and the war years followed with her son Gordon McKee, Myrtle’s brother and Joni’s uncle, being killed in action in Italy in 1943 just 20 says before the birth of Roberta Joan Anderson, aka Joni Mitchell, while he was serving with the Seaforth Highlanders of the Canadian infantry. Sadie died following an operation in January 1972.
The accompanying photo from 1891 shows Maria Henderson holding the family Bible accompanied by Sadie and Ernie. It would be interesting to learn something about the photographer for unlike 2023 the equipment then required was rather cumbersome by comparison.
The family Bible is presently being cared for by Joni’s daughter Kilauren Gibb, the “5th generation descendant to care for this family treasure.” Kilauren is pictured standing next to this 1899 W. Doherty & Co. reed organ which has been standing in the same spot in the Henderson family farm since 1922. This organ was the most common keyboard instrument played by Joni’s Scottish and Irish ancestors. When Joni Mitchell gave her daughter up for adoption her name was changed from Kelly Anderson to Kilauren Gibb. This photograph was taken during the summer of 2022 when Kilauren was attending the 148th Ridge Anniversary church service in the church built by her Scottish ancestors.
THE RIDGE SCHOOL – Ernie relates that Annie Faul’s book “I Remember Grandma” states that The Ridge School was also known as “The Mayflower”. Built in 1889, it replaced a log school that had been constructed in 1876. The large timber logs from the old school were re-cycled to make floor joists for the Mayflower. The accompanying photos show the presumed ‘original school’, the new school and restoration work by Ernie. “The unusually wide distance between joists made for a very springy floor, even with a full inch sub floor.” (E.P.) The school is presently a private residence.
The teacher in the accompanying photo is Norm Gainer.
For The Curious – Where the Ridge Rd. meets the Steenburg Lake Rd., on the east corner, come spring you will see a field of daffodils. Bob McGeachie planted hundreds of bulbs there in the 1960s. Ernie is “trying to cut back the sumac every year. I took over their care since Bob died in 1999.”
