Interview # 54

Name: Albert Willcott

Sex: Male

Age: 55

Place and date of birth: St. Joseph's, Cove January 8, 1944

Education: N/A

Occupation: Labourer

Religion: Roman Catholic

Number of children: 4

Names of children and where they live:

Monica - Brazil

Melvin - Scarborough, Ontario

Michelle - Scarborough, Ontario

- Rodney - St. Alban's

Phone: 538-3741

Date of interview: March 29, 1999

Place of interview: St. Joseph's Cove

Interviewers: Carla Collier and Dale Willcott

Albert Willcott was born Jan 8, 1944, to Ambrose Willcott of St. Joseph's Cove. Albert had two step sisters because his mother was married twice. His step sisters names are Mary Willcott married to Ned Willcott and Elizabeth Willcott. His grandparent's names are Uncle Morgan Organ and Aunt Liza but for some reason he called them aunt and uncle.

For pastimes, Albert would play hopscotch and tiddley. Some chores he did growing up were bringing the water from the well, making the hay in the summer time, and feeding the hens and cattle. You would have to cut the hay spread it and turn it over to dry it out.

Albert said there was a one room school house in St. Joseph's Cove. He did not enjoy going to school. Viola Collier was his first teacher. Other teachers who taught in St. Joseph's are Theresa Quilty, Theresa Collier ( George ) and Mary Collier. He said all the teachers were strict and they would hit you across the hand with a long strap. He recalled getting into a lot of trouble if they didn't do their homework. He said it was a one room school and it was cold. The school was heated with a wood stove. They had to carry their own wood to light the fire. Every student had a certain week in which they had to bring their wood. You would go early in the morning to light the fire to get the school warm for the day. They accidentally smoked the school out a couple of times. The church and school were in one building. The school was on one side and the church was on the other side and they were separate by shutters. They would have a church service every four or five months. Father Hayes would come down from St. Alban's to say mass. Albert said Father Hayes was a really strict man. Albert also served mass on the altar with Father Hayes he said you had to do everything just right for him. Father Hayes was also a doctor then, and he could also pull teeth for the people. Albert said Father Hayes could do anything at all. Another Doctor around here then was Doctor Rodriguez and he was here for a long time.

Some home remedies that Albert remembered was Cherry Bark, you would steep out the bark and drink the broth. This would help cure a cough. Albert recalled a time when he had the measles and his mother went up to the sheep's barn and got some sheep manure. She brought it home, steeped it out, and gave it to him to drink. The next morning he woke up, and he was broken out. He said it was one good remedy. If someone got sick, they would have to use boats because there were no roads. If you had to go to the hospital, you would have to go to Harbour Breton. Some diseases that were around were TB ( Tuberculosis ). He said the Christmas Seal Boat would come in and people would get x-rays done.

Some off the midwives that were around was Aunt Eve Collier, Cecily Collier, and Joan Collier. Albert said Aunt Polly delivered him but her real name was Mary Leroux.

Women would do a lot of work while the men were off working. They would do a little bit of everything including feeding the animals, looking after the garden, cutting and sawing wood, and carrying water from the well. Monday morning Albert would fill a barrel for washing the clothes because Monday was laundry day.

Albert said "Everything was cheap but you didn't make any money when you went to work because the wages were low. A pack of "tar kit A tobacco" and a pack of papers were twenty-five cents." There was a co-op store in St. Joseph's Cove where they would get salt beef. Schooners would come in and bring freight to the community. The co-op store also carried kerosene, flour, and barrels of molasses. The meats they had were caribou, and rabbits.

The only way they could keep meat was to bottle it up. Sometimes they would lower the meats down in the well in the cold water and it would last longer that way. He said there was many caribou back then. He said you would kill a sheep in the fall of the year and before Christmas you would always have mutton. In the summer time, you would kill chickens and eat them.

Albert said on St. Anne's Day they would travel by boat to Conne River. Once he said they went by George Wells schooner, he picked everyone up in St. Joseph's Cove and they all went to Conne River for mass. Albert said at that time of year, they would always get new potatoes. Albert said at dances there was a lot of homebrew to drink. During Christmas, you would get about three bottles of rum. You would have to sign up in a liquor book and then they would send to Port Aux Basque. It would be sent by steamer, about three 26 ounces bottles would come in. Albert recalled only getting apples, and oranges for Christmas. Their weren't too many toys around then, but he does remember getting a pop gun one Christmas.

Albert remembered the first moose he shot was at camp ten. His first caribou was in Long Pond, and he was only fourteen at the time. His father, Ralph Organ, and he went to Long Pond by canoe.

Before roads came, the only way to get around was by boat or by walking. You could only get as far as causeway because there was no bridge there. Before Hydro, they would heat their homes with a wood stove and light their homes with kerosene lamps. They would use an old fashion scrub board for washing clothes. Albert said they would make their own soap out of lye and ashes, and fat of an animal. They would cook their food by wood stoves. Hydro came to Bay d'Espoir in 1965 or 1966. Albert said he could remember a post office in St. Joseph's Cove. He said Zeta Dollimont had one in her home and he remembered Abe Collier having a post office.

Albert recalled Gordon Long had the first telephone because everyone would go to their home to make phone calls. Albert said the main job around when he was growing up was working in the woods. You would cut logs and tow them to Milltown and the Strickland brothers would buy them from you and in return for them you would get food. He rhined wood for five dollars a cord. Albert's first job was with MacNamara, he worked twelve hours a day for six days a week and made $53 a week. Albert has been very helpful to us in helping to preserve the communities past.