Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

WOOD

No. Pieces

1

Length

47.7

Diameter

5.1

Description

HAND CARVED. ONE SIDE CHARRED, AND GLUE FROM TAPE REMAINS ON PIN. SEE CONSERVATION REPORT

Subjects

FOOD PROCESSING T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

MADE BY DONOR'S WIFE, EDITH'S, GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER, MALCOON CAMPBELL, ON HIS HOMESTEAD IN CARADOC TOWNSHIP OUTSIDE OF LONDON ONTARIO IN 1821, FOR HIS WIFE MARY. IT WAS PASSED TO HIS DAUGHTER ISABELLA, WHO MARRIED R.P. SIMMONS. SHE PASSED IT TO HER DAUGHTER-IN-LAW, RAECHAL SIMMONS, EDITH'S GRANDMOTHER, WHO GAVE IT AS A GIFT TO EDITH. EDITH, DONOR'S WIFE, HAD JUST ARRIVED IN CANADA, AS A BRIDE TO DONOR. THE NARRATIVE BELOW (UNEDITTED) WAS PROVIDED IN SEPTEMBER 2009 BY THE DONOR’S SON JACK SIMMONS. SIMMONS OBTAINED THE INFORMATION, IN PART, FROM HIS YOUNGER SISTER JUDY LESCHAISON OF GIBSONS LANDING, BC. ACCORDING TO SIMMONS, HIS SISTER WAS PRESENT AT THE TIME THAT HIS FATHER DONATED THE ROLLING PIN AND THE CLOCK TO THE MUSEUM IN 1965. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE. THE MAKER OF THE ROLLING PIN WAS MALCOLM CAMPBELL GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER OF THE DONOR HARPER SIMMONS. MALCOLM AND HIS WIFE MARY WITH THEIR CHILDREN IMMIGRATED TO LOBBO TOWNSHIP OUTSIDE LONDON ONTARIO IN 1819 FROM ARGYLE SCOTLAND. THEIR DAUGHTER ISABELLA WAS BORN JUST AFTER THEY ARRIVED WHILE THEY LIVED THE FIRST WINTER WITH LOCAL NATIVES. WHEN THEY SET UP CAMP AND BEFORE A PERMANENT DWELLING WAS BUILT MALCOLM ASKED HIS WIFE WHAT SHE NEEDED MOST TO HELP IN KEEPING THE HOUSEHOLD TOGETHER. THEY HAD CARRIED ALL THE ESSENTIALS THEY COULD THINK OF WITH THEM BUT HAD FORGOTTEN A ROLLING PIN. SHE INFORMED HIM OF THIS AND HE CUT A BRANCH OF A HARD WOOD TREE AND WITH HIS AXE AND KNIFE WHITTLED HER A ROLLING PIN. ISABELLA MARRIED ROBERT PALMATEER SIMMONS AND MOTHER PASSED THE ROLLING PIN ON TO DAUGHTER. THE YOUNGEST SON OF ISABELLA AND RP, AS HE WAS CALLED, WHO THEY HAD NAMED ARCHIBALD ERASTUS MARRIED RAECHAL RANKIN AND ISABELLA PASSED ON THE ROLLING PIN TO RAECHAL. RAECHAL AND ARCHIBALD’S GRANDSON HARPER SIMMONS MARRIED EDITH CRONEY IN LONDON ENGLAND IN 1940 WHILE SERVING IN WWII UPON EDITH’S ARRIVAL IN CANADA IN 1945 THE ROLLING PIN WAS PASSED ON TO HER BY RAECHAL WHO PASSED AWAY IN 1957. IN 1965 AFTER 146 YEARS OF SERVICE THE PIN WAS RETIRED AND DONATED BY HARPER AND EDITH TO THE MUSEUM. THE ROLLING PIN HAD BEEN WELL USED BUT STILL SHOWS THE ORIGINAL CUTS OF MALCOLMS KNIFE. MALCOLM AND MARY MOVED TO CARADOC TOWNSHIP IN 1821 TURNING THEIR ORIGINAL HOMESTEAD OVER TO HIS SISTER AND HER HUSBAND AND ARE BURIED IN THE CAMPBELL FAMILY CEMETERY ON THE CARADOC HOMESTEAD. ISABELLA AND RP HAD HOTELS IN BOTH LONDON AND WINGHAM ONTARIO, WHILE ARCHIBALD AND RAECHAL HAD A PRINTING BUSINESS IN WINGHAM AND AFTER HIS DEATH A ROOMING HOUSE FOR YOUNG LADIES IN BRANDON MANITOBA. HARP AND EDITH FARMED AT HEASLIP (NEAR MINTO) MANITOBA BEFORE MOVING TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1956. THE ROLLING PIN WAS USED IN ALL THESE LOCATIONS, INCLUDING LETHBRIDGE, WITH GREAT SUCCESS.

Catalogue Number

P19651497000

Acquisition Date

1965-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail