Interview #58

Name: Ralph Organ

Sex: Male

Age: 78

Place and date of birth: St. Joseph's Cove, January 24, 1921

Education: Grade 4

Religion: Roman Catholic

Occupation: Woodsman

Number of children: 13

Names of children and where they live:

Shirley (St. Joseph's Cove) Finton (St. Alban's)

Ann (St. Alban's) Helena (Deceased)

Junior (Deceased) Mary (Killigrews)

Gerard (St. Joseph's Cove) Clement (Fort MacMurray, Alberta)

Patrick (St. Joseph's Cove) Ivan (St. Joseph's Cove)

Sandy (St. Joseph's Cove) Theresa (Fort MacMurray, Alberta)

Fabian (St. Alban's)

Phone: 538-3743

Place of interview: St. Joseph's Cove

Date of interview: April 1, 1999

Interviewers: Sheri Peters and Pamela Organ

Ralph Organ was born on January 24, 1921. His parents were Mary Cox and Joseph Organ. His father was born in St. Joseph's Cove and his mother was born in St. Alban's. He had one sister, Elizabeth, who passed away in her early thirties. His grandparents on his father's side were Nicholas and Elizabeth Organ and his grandparents on his mother's side were John and Mary Cox.

Ralph's family had plenty of meat and vegetables because they had a garden, cows, and sheep, which were tended to by his mother. His grandmother would also help but she was totally blind. There was a wire from their house to the shed that guided her. Although she was blind, she got things done that had to be done.

Ralph recalled that while growing up as a young boy, he went up on the big hill and slide right down to the ice. He recalled that there was much snow back then, sometimes right up over the fences.

Ralph said he did a bit of caribou hunting growing up. At one point, he got lost in the country and his feet got frost bitten. After his feet thawed out, he felt a lot of pain. When he finally made it back home, midwife Mary LeRoux helped nurse him back to health. He ended up losing two toes but he was lucky that his life was saved. Mary applied hot water and vaseline to his feet everyday until they healed. He was laid up for a total of three months.

The only illness Ralph spoke of was TB, which was later thought to be cancer by the people of the community. Ralph remembered some home remedies used in the past. Turpentine was used to hold cuts together and people ate it if they thought there was something wrong with their lungs. Also, cherry bark from a tree was boiled and the broth was drank to cure the flu.

Ralph attended a one room school house. His teachers were Mr. Hearn and Molly Willcott. Later on, Ralph helped build a part on the school, which was used for church services. He also recalled that if Father Hayes passed by someone with the Blessed Sacrament, they had to get down on your knees to show respect.

At the age of ten, Ralph left school to work in the woods with his father. He worked ten-hour days and got paid ten cents an hour. In the summer, he hauled logs out with a rope, put them in a dory, and dragged them out to the tickle. He got paid twenty dollars for one hundred logs and thirty dollars for one thousand pieces of lumber. Back then, logs were traded for food. He said, "You would get five or six sacks of flour. Then you would cut logs all winter to pay for the food."

Ralph worked over on the airport in Gander in 1940. He also worked in Glenwood for one year. He and a few other men walked there. They struck a lot of bad weather and it took them thirteen days to get there. They set up camp on the way. Ron has also worked with the Department of Highways for eighteen years. He retired fourteen years ago because of an untimely incident. Ralph suffered a heart attack, at the age of sixty-five, which forced him to retire.

Ralph recalled some history about St. Joseph's Cove. Gordon Long had a small area in his house where he collected letters and packages for people that had to be mailed. George Collier collected the mail and carried it to St. Alban's. Sometimes he used a wireless telegram. The first radio in St. Joseph's Cove was put into the school by Father Hayes.

During the tidal wave of 1929, a few men were coming down from St. Alban's in a motor boat. When they reached the tickle, a huge wave forced them upon a bank and they were stranded until the tide went back out.

Ralph remembered some holidays celebrated when he was growing up. During the Christmas season, he went to dances and had to pay ten cents. People went from house to house, dancing and singing. He recalled there was plenty of homebrew but people could not afford to buy a bottle of rum back then. Everyone celebrated the full twelve days. People decorated their trees with coloured paper and apples. On Christmas morning, the children received an apple or orange and maybe some candy in their stockings. During the Easter season, people saved their eggs for Sunday morning breakfast. After breakfast, they went to Mass in St. Alban's. Ralph recalled that there was much snow then and he had to walk with snow up to his knees. On St. Anne's Day, Ralph went to Conne River for Mass. After he left Conne River, he went to St. Alban's for a big dance. Some people brought pots of rabbit soup and there were plenty of pie and cake to eat.

Ralph recalled a lot of history about St. Joseph's Cove. He was a great help in preserving the past.