Interview #68

Name: Isabelle Hoskins

Sex: Female

Age: 70

Place and date of birth: Corner Brook, December 20, 1928

Education: None

Religion: Roman Catholic

Occupation: N/A

Number of children: 7

Names of children:

Sharon

Nora

Jean

Ralph

Anthony

Doug

Adonis

Phone: 538-3436

Place of interview: St. Alban's

Date of interview: April 13, 1999

Interviewers: Carla Collier and Pamela Organ

Isabelle was born to Sam Sealey and Emma Williams in Corner Brook on December 20, 1928. Her father was from Nova Scotia. She was raised in Corner Brook by her mother. When she was five or six months old, her father died. She was christened in the Salvation Army Church in Corner Brook. Isabelle has one sister named May and one brother named Albert. Isabelle lived in a small bungalow house and her family had no sheep or cattle. She moved to St. Alban's after she married Austin Hoskins.

Isabelle and Austin Hoskins got married in Corner Brook. They were married on a Friday evening at 7:00. They were married in Austin's sister's house. They had dinner there as well. They drank soft drink instead of liquor because there was not much liquor around then.

While growing up, Isabelle babysat and worked in boarding houses. She did not receive any unemployment. Isabelle was not allowed to play any games because of her religion, which was Salvation Army. The only game she played was hopscotch. Isabelle's children were christened in a Catholic church, which was located out where the post office is today. The priest that christened her children was Father Hayes.

Isabelle said that if anyone got really sick, they had to go down to Harbour Breton on a boat called The Baccaleiu. One of the illnesses in the past that she recalled was Rickets. She remembered this disease because her son Adonis had it. She said that Father Hayes came out and blessed it.

Isabelle recalled some home remedies used in the past. To cure the flu, people boiled molasses, then added a little dash of kerosene. It turned out in the shape of candy. Isabelle said it worked very well and the kerosene could not be tasted. Another remedy that people used was drinking boiled juniper. She said, "This was good for everything." When people had a flu on their chest, they boiled goose grease and rubbed it on their chest. It worked because it broke up the congestion built up in the chest. She said, "This worked like vicks."

Isabelle recalled that the midwives around in the past were Aunt Eve Collier and Aunt Joan Collier. Joan was the person who delivered her twins Adonis and Anthony. Isabelle lost a baby during child birth and lost another child due to a miscarriage.

Isabelle said that while the men worked away from home, the women were busy as well. They had to tend to the children and do housework. They had to wash clothes with a wash tub and a scrub board. Children had cloth diapers. Isabelle said, "They were so easy to wash." In order to get water, it had to be pumped from a brook and then "lugged up" to the house.

Isabelle said that in order to buy something, she gave money to her father-in-law and he went to get it for her. When Isabelle first moved here, she lived with Austin's parent's. Some prices in the past were five pound bags of candy were five cents, a box of biscuits was fifty cents, and candy bars were one cent. Isabelle remembered that Sammy D. Collier had a store around when she grew up. She also remembered that Bill Hartery had a little candy store and Mary MacDonald had a store. Her daughter Sharon had a little shop in her basement and Sam Hoskins had a store.

Isabelle said that Christmas was very quiet in the past. There was no liquor in the house at all or there were no parties. Her family always had turkey dinner at Christmas. After dinner, a crowd of people went to Isabelle's to sing hymns. For Christmas, she received dolls, dresses, candy, bars, apples, and oranges. Isabelle said, "I had to be in the house by seven p.m..."

Before roads were constructed in Bay d'Espoir, Isabelle said people travelled by boat or walked through foot paths. Before Hydro, people used kerosene lamps for light and a woodstove to cook meals and heat their homes.

Isabelle recalled that there was always a post office around to mail letters and packages. She said that Glen John took the mail over to Glenwood. Isabelle remembered that the first truck was owned by Bill Hartery and the first telephone and television was owned by Sam Hoskins.

One of the jobs that Isabelle remembered being around in the past was working in the woods. Her current companion worked in the woods and received seventy-five cents for a cord of wood. Today however, people receive fourty-five dollars for a cord of wood. After cutting the wood, he gave it to the sawmills.

Isabelle's companion remembered the day of the tidal wave quite well. He was only five years old at the time. It was in the afternoon and his father was making shavings. The stove pipes and the dishes started to rattle. He remembered his father saying, "Get the children outdoors. The world has come to an end." Everything was flooded and the water came right up to the bridge.

Isabelle said that the best thing that happened to Bay d'Espoir was when Hydro came because they had electricity to depend on. Isabelle was very helpful in preserving the past.