| JOHN F. HAWKINS & RITA BUNYAN |
| JOHN FRANCIS WAS BORN ON NOV. 1, 1900. JACK, AS HE WAS CALLED, TOOK THE MOST INTEREST IN CONTINUING THE OPERATION OF THE FAMILY FARM. AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY JACK'S PARENTS CONTINUED TO LIVE WITH HIM UNTIL THEIR DEATH. ON JUNE 5, 1939, JACK MARRIED RITA ELLEN BUNYAN, DAUGHTER OF DENNIS & MARGARET BUNYAN . RITA WAS BORN ON JUNE 27, 1911 AND RAISED ON THE 10th CONCESSION OF WEST LUTHER TOWNSHIP, NEAR CONN, ON. JACK & RITA'S MARRIAGE TOOK PLACE AT SACRED HEART RC CHURCH, KENILWORTH. THE SERVICE WAS OFFICIATED BY FR. WALTER. ANNE HAWKINS (DOYLE) WAS THE BRIDESMAID AND JOSEPH BUNYAN (RITA'S BROTHER) THE BESTMAN. THEY TOOK A HONEYMOON TRIP OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO AND BUFFALO. JACK & RITA RAISED 4 CHILDREN: WALTER, MARGARET, PATRICK & JOHN R. JACK & RITA WERE MEMBERS OF ST. PETER'S R C CHURCH, AYTON. JACK WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE HOLY NAME SOCIETY. |
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| JOHN & RITA'S WEDDING l-r: JOE, ANNE, RITA AND JOHN c. 1939 |
| THE CHILDREN ATTENDED SSS#16 (FORMERLY SSS#10, WHERE JOHN F. AND HIS SIBLINGS ATTENDED), ST. PETER'S SCHOOL, AYTON AND MOUNT FOREST DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL. JACK ALSO OPERATED A MIXED FARM. HE NAMED THE FARM "SUNNY SOUTH" AND HAD THIS NAME PAINTED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE BARN (AROUND 1940). THIS REMAINED, UNTIL 1988 WHEN THE SOUTH SIDE WAS REPLACED WITH STEEL. JACK IN HIS YOUNGER DAYS HAD TWO HORSES: DICK & MAUDE. A DRIVER HORSE, 'PAT' WAS LATER OWNED, PRE 1948. TWO GREY WORK HORSES, 'PEGGY' AND 'PEARL' WERE ALSO OWNED. WILLIAM HAWKINS (JACK'S BROTHER) WORKED WITH THESE TWO AS THEY WERE WILD AND HIGH STRUNG. THEY LEFT AROUND 1951. 'QUEENIE' REPLACED PEGGY & PEARL, SHE WAS A QUIET WORK HORSE USED FOR RAKING HAY, SOWING TURNIPS AND SAWFOLDING THE POTATOES. SHE WAS EVEN HARNESSED UP TO AN OLD BUGGY AND DRIVEN THROUGH THE BACK FIELDS (A SPECIAL TREAT AT THE REUNIONS). QUEENIE LEFT ABOUT 1960. IN 1961, WALTER & JOHN R. BOTH OWNED A BUCKSKIN QUARTER HORSE, JOHN REMEMBERS HIS, CALLED 'BLONDIE'. THEY BOTH RAISED ONE COLT. THE FARM ALSO HAD A VARIETY OF DOGS: 'BING' (194?-58) A COLLIE; 'PERKY' (?-1951) A CORGIE CROSS; 'LOSTY' (1957-71) A COLLIE CROSS, FOUND IN THE BACK FIELD; 'TAFFY' (?-?) LOSTY'S PUP, AROUND FOR ABOUT 3 YEARS AND 'PATCHES' (1967-75) A DALMATION /LAB, A GIFT FROM MARION HAWKINS. AT SOME POINT JACK TOOK OVER THE OWNERSHIP OF THE 'BINGO' PROPERTY FROM LEO (FORMERLY FR WALTER'S PROPERTY). THE AREA WAS EXCELLENT FOR FISHING AND HE WOULD SOME TIMES RENT OUT THE USE OF THE AREA. JACK & RITA HAD HYDRO INSTALLED IN THE HOUSE IN 1941, PLUMBING WAS INSTALLED IN 1951 AND THEY GOT THEIR FIRST TV IN 1960 APPROX. JACK WAS SLOW TO ACCEPT CHANGE AND DIDN'T CARE FOR THIS NEW ITEM. A STEEL ROOF WAS PUT ON THE BARN AROUND 1955. JACK & RITA CELEBRATED THEIR 25th ANNIVERSARY IN 1964 (see photo). |
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| L-R: WALTER, MARG, PAT & JOHN c. 1948~ |
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| JOHN & RITA'S 25th ANNIVERSARY c.1964 L-R: PAT, RITA, MARG, JOHN F, WALTER & JOHN |
| ON OCTOBER 18, 1966 , JACK SUFFERED A STROKE AND LATER DIED AT HANOVER HOSPITAL AT AGE 66. HIS FUNERAL MASS WAS HELD AT ST. PETER'S, AYTON OFFICIATED BY FR. SCHOEMAKER AND INTERMENT AT ST. PETER'S CEMETERY, AYTON, ON. RITA CONTINUED TO LIVE AT THE FARM UNTIL SHE BECAME ILL (1980). SHE THEN STAYED WITH SON JOHN IN BARRIE, WHERE SHE PASSED AWAY FROM CANCER AT AGE 69 (SEPT. 10, 1980). NONE OF THE CHILDREN HAD AN INTEREST IN CONTINUING THE FAMILY FARM OPERATION . SINCE THE DEATH OF RITA THE BARN AND FIELDS HAVE BEEN RENTED BY A NEIGHBOUR. WALTER SETTLED IN AYTON (see below), MARGARET IN TORONTO, PATRICK (AND SHARON) IN KITCHENER AND JOHN (AND KAREN) NEAR BARRIE. THE FARM CONTINUES TO BE A PLACE OF HOLIDAY GET-TOGETHERS AND FAMILY REUNIONS. THE FARM HAS NOW BEEN IN THE FAMILY FOR 149 YEARS. |
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| WALTER HAWKINS & JOANNE DEGROOT |
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| WALTER & JOANNE 'S WEDDING c. 1967 |
| WALTER, BORN IN 1940, MARRIED JOHANNA C. deGROOT (JOANNE) IN 1967 AT SACRED HEART RC CHURCH, KENILWORTH, ON. JOANNE WAS BORN IN 1941 IN BOEKEL, HOLLAND. HER FAMILY IMMIGRATED TO CANADA IN 1948 ABOARD THE DUTCH IMMIGRANT SHIP, TABINTA. THE TABINTA TRAVELLED FROM ROTTERDAM TO QUEBEC CITY AND DESIGNED TO HANDLE POST-WAR IMMIGRATION. JOANNE'S PARENTS, ADRIANUS AND ANNA DEGROOT OWNED A FARM PROPERTY ON CONCESSION 5 OF ARTHUR TOWNSHIP (NEAR KENILWORTH). WALTER & JOANNE HAD 4 CHILDREN: RONALD, JOSEPH, CHRISTOPHER & CYNTHIA. THE CHILDREN ATTENDED HOLY FAMILY SCHOOL, HANOVER AND SACRED HEART HIGHSCHOOL, WALKERTON, ON. RON MARRIED SUSAN BAILEY, CHRIS MARRIED TRACY JOHNSTON (SEP.) AND CINDY MARRIED PAUL DEAN. |
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| L-R: RON, CHRIS, CINDY & JOE c. 1974 |
| CHRIS HAWKINS (WEBMASTER/SITE OWNER) |
| I WAS BORN IN 1970 AND RAISED IN AYTON. I NOW CALL WHITBY HOME, I CAME TO DURHAM REGION ORIGINALLY TO ATTEND COLLEGE, STUDYING, ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY. I HAVE TWO CHILDREN, GAVIN AND LAURYN. THE BIRTH OF GAVIN INSPIRED ME TO BEGIN TRACING MY FAMILY TREES AND HISTORIES. IT HAS SO FAR BEEN VERY REWARDING, LIKELY A LONG ROAD TO COMPLETION. GAVIN & LAURYN WILL SOMEDAY BE ABLE TO PASS ON THIS HISTORY TO THEIR CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN, ETC. i HOPE YOU ALSO ENJOYING READING WHAT I HAVE SO FAR, IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WAS LEFT OUT FEEL FREE TO E-MAIL ME. THANKS! CHRIS |
| CHRIS SEPT 2005 |
| THANK YOU SECTION: The following are a list of the contributors who helped make this family story possible (in no special order): National Archives (Census and Land Grant records); Walter, Margaret, Joe and John Hawkins; Anne Doyle; Marcia Samuel; Julie Renner; Cheryl Sanko; Peter Murphy; Linda Radtke at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, St. Paul; Frances at Resurrection Cemetery, Whitby; Staff at Holy Cross Cemetery, Thornhill, Merry Glover at the Hamilton Diocese, Sherry Gettle (Regina Sask), Jerome Atrens (BC), Tom Murphy (Colorado, USA), Chris Panetta (Red Hook , NY) and the Oshawa & Whitby Public Libraries.....and many others (who escape my memory at the moment). |
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| JOHN & RITA'S GRAVE ST PETER'S CEMETERY, AYTON |
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