Interview #73

Name: Tom Hull

Sex: Male

Age: 88

Place and date of birth: Great Jarvis, January 1, 1911

Education: Grade 4

Religion: Roman Catholic

Occupation: Various

Number of children: 12

Names of children and where they live:

Mary - St. Alban's Mike - Head Bay d'Espoir

Betty - Deceased Austin - North Sydney

Carrie - North Sydney Brian - Head Bay d'Espoir

Justin - Corner Brook Randy - St.Alban's

Louise - North Sydney Lou Allan - Head Bay d'Espoir

Theresa - Toronto Tommy - Halifax

Phone: 882-2426

Place of interview: Barnes (Head Bay d'Espoir)

Date of interview: April 20, 1999

Interviewers: Trina King and Leah Marshall

Tom Hull was born in Great Jarvis on January 1, 1911. He is the son of Thomas and Louise Hull from Great Jarvis. His father was killed in North Sydney in 1910. His mother was left to raise four children, one girl and three boys. Tom said "We were called orphans, that is to put you out into someone's home and half the time no one wanted you." Tom said. Tom lived in Great Jarvis until he was four years old.

Tom's family was separated after his father's death. His sister was living in Ramea, his brother Austin lived with his grandfather in Great Jarvis and Leo, his oldest brother, lived in Harbour Breton with Patrick Hern. Tom and his mother lived with his grandfather for a while. When his father died she was supposed to get fifteen hundred dollars back for insurance but she didn't get a cent back because they said she didn't need it.

Father St. Croix lived in Harbour Breton at this time when he called Tom's mother to be a house keeper. She had to give Tom to Bridget Cox of Harbour Breton for two years because the priest wouldn't let him stay. Tom had hard times there. After that his mother remarried to Tom McDonald at Harbour Breton, he had three children.

Elizabeth Organ brought him to Head Bay d'Espoir, he was six years old then. They also raised Jim Lilly. Tom moved in with John McDonald and his wife, they had no children of their own. Tom lived with them until he was twenty-six years old and then he got married on May 25, 1938.

At the age of ten, Tom was log cutting and he would get as low as eighteen cents per log. He didn't receive any money for himself because he had to give it to the people that was looking after him. Tom worked at Robert's sawmill for eleven years getting seventy-five cents a day, twenty-one dollars a month and working twelve hours a day. The Highland Timber Company was here and Tom got his first cheque of eighty dollars, which he brought food and clothes. After that CO-OP started in St. Alban's cutting pulpwood, he didn't get any money just stamps because it was dealing with the church. Father St. Croix was the leader of the job.

When the second World War started in 1939, he went to work on the Navel Air Base in Argentia. When people were called to go overseas, Tom was already gone to Corner Brook for seven months. He left Christmas Eve and came back in August.

Bowater's started in the fall and that is when Tom came back. He worked with them for sixteen years as a cook. He would cook salt pork (beef), figgy duffs, pork duff, onions were the only vegetable, and they would have beans every morning. The camps he cooked for were camp one, three, four, six, eight, and nine. Tom was the second cook and the last cook. He would receive ninety dollars a month and later he received $440 a month. He also cooked for Conne River when the ships were here. Tom recalled that he had four helpers that were Wallace Collier, Benny Benoit, Bead Benoit, and Natty Bobit.

When Hydro came, he worked with them for three or four years. Then Tom worked on the first bridge in North West and worked on the South East bridge (swinging bridge). He also worked on the Gander River bridge. After that he got turned down for working because he had heart problems. Tom started receiving Canada Pension of fourteen dollars a month and after awhile he got fifty dollars a month.

Some things that Tom did for fun were playing cards such as 120's and he would sing songs to older people. He would get invited in for a drink and he was always welcome wherever he went. He would also go to dances at the school. In school he can remember the teacher having a wooden slapper. Tom made it as far as grade four in school. He was attending school and church all in one building located in Barnes. Some teachers that Tom can remember are Cecil Collier, Sally Collier, Jenny Organ, Cecil Willcott, and Francis Cox.

"Church was very important to everyone back then and now it's not so serious." Tom said. He would row from Head Bay d'Espoir to Swanger's Cove for Mass and he would walk to St. Alban's for mid night Mass. He would leave at three o'clock in the day and get home at five o'clock in the morning. He would have to wear moccasins for walking, If he didn't attend church it would be considered a sin. He was afraid of the priest because he was the head man. "If you were bad when you were young, people would tell the priest on you." Tom said.

During Christmas he would go to Mass and put up his stockings. Tom remembered only getting an apple and a rat trap. He would go to a lot of dances in Morrisville, Milltown, St. Alban's and Head Bay d'Espoir. On St. Anne's Day, he would row to Conne River. People would go to Mass, go to the school to have tea, and have a parade with the statue.

Tom has shared with us a lot of interesting things that are useful in helping us to preserve Bay d'Espoir's past.