Part One Beatrice Scovell's Under Recognized Muskoka History

PART ONE

"The Muskoka Story" by Beatrice Scovell - A Neglected Regional Resource Full of Folk Tales

By Ted and Suzanne Currie

     It was during the period I was editor of The Herald-Gazette, in Bracebridge, circa 1982, that the Scovell family was working on a family history, being edited by one of our staffers, Judith Brocklehurst, and prepped for printing by our sister company, Muskoka Graphics. I have to admit Beatrice Scovell's family history arrived in the newsroom at a time when we were short staffed, and jammed-up for editorial copy, meaning, to my general disadvantage, I didn't know what her story was going to represent. We handled a lot of similar projects and most were too intimate with family affairs of the past, to be much good to a regional historian other than for casual reference. I was asked dozens of questions about photo inclusions for the book, especially about copyright issues of photographs taken by professionals, the author wished to publish in her text. This was about the limit of my involvement, and within a month or so, the book, in hardcover, was released through the Scovell family, and outside of handling a copy fresh from the print shop, I didn't have much to do with the book from that point.
     I'm kind of embarrassed about this, because there are very few books dealing with regional history ever published in, or about this district of Ontario, I haven't read and subsequently reviewed for a variety of publications. The reasons Beatrice Scovell's book, "The Muskoka Story" escaped my attention, had a lot to do with my ill-conceived opinion the story-line was simply family-based, with little I could use for general Muskoka research. Secondly, I wasn't never offered a review copy, although we published one that Judith Brocklehurst had composed. There was only a small printing of the family history, and I figured it wasn't a big deal to own one, seeing as I wasn't a family member. The only other time I missed a good book to own, was when "These Our Ancestors Were," was published in the early 1980's, with up-to-date lists of the occupants of cemetery plots throughout the region. Bracebridge Public Library had so many copies given to them, that they were offering them free to patrons, and I took two, and wound up giving both my copies away, knowing the Library had more stock. When I went back a few days later, they were all gone. Today that directory, one of the best reference texts of all the Muskoka books, is worth a minimum of a hundred bucks if you can find one available, even, on-line. Well Beatrice Scovell's book falls into this category. What I assumed initially, that it was a lesser Muskoka book, was absolutely wrong, and I should have taken it more seriously.
      The difference today is twofold. I am far more interested in folk histories, worked on by citizens who told stories with historical relevance; not just dry histories encumbered by facts shouldered by more facts without companion background and the commonplace of the period for comparison. Beatrice's book is chock full of this and I love its essence of folkish honesty. The second reality, I now own a copy of what is considered a rare Muskoka history. I was shocked to find a rather worn copy at a recent library sale of used books, and couldn't believe my good fortune. But I was disappointed the library would have turfed such an important book with such low availability, even amongst rare book dealers. It shouldn't have been discarded plain and simple, but it has found a home in our regional archives none the less.
     The book was financed by Beatrice's husband, Floyd Scovell, one of Bracebridge's super hockey fans, who seldom missed a junior hockey game, and was a fixture at the local arena. Floyd was seriously injured in a car accident in memory serves, and died after a short period in the hospital. The community was saddened by the accident and the tragic circumstance of Floyd's death, and I remember placing the news story in that week's issue of The Herald-Gazette. Floyd and Beatrice Casselman, daughter of Dr. Charles Casselman, and Lucy Ware (Casselman), of Huntsville, were married on June 28th, 1923. Beatrice was born in Huntsville in the year 1902, and died in Toronto in November 1992. The couple had a daughter named Leda who died shortly after birth in 1924. Floyd's sister's name was Leda, born in 1904 and who died in 1997. These were the family members intimately involved in the production of the grossly under recognized book,"The Muskoka Story." Well, over the next week, as a long serving Muskoka historian, I'd like to "right" this wrong, by finally reviewing this wonderful gem of local history, deserving a more significant ranking as major resource in local archive collections. Today, we'll just take a wee peek at what this "Story" is all about, from the introduction written by Beatrice. It is, by her own admission, a fulfilled promise to her grandfather, that one day she would compose a such a family history, made up in part, by stories he had told her as a child, being of importance to her understanding of the place she called home.
     "This book is the work of a lifetime. Beatrice Casselman was three years old when she began to put together the stories and recollections in it. The work has been growing ever since, and its completion owes much to the man she married. Floyd Scovell, who supported her with encouragement and practical help through the many years of its compilation.
     "Mrs. Scovell was in a unique position, for her ancestors were Land Grant pioneers in Muskoka, and her family, have had an unbroken tie with this country since those early days. Indeed, her family's connection with Muskoka goes back far beyond the opening of the country, to the days when a Casselman child was kidnapped from the family home on the St. Lawrence River. An emotionally disturbed Indian woman took the little boy, and the Indians brought him into this area for the tribe's summer hunting. The Casselmans, with rare understanding, befriended the woman and allowed her to continue as the child's nurse after he was recovered.
     "The book is a story, not a history; and it reflects one person's individual interpretation of events and people. It comes from many sources, some of them very old from letters, diaries, newspaper articles, notebooks, guidebooks, by all who came here."
     Beatrice Scovell writes, "When I was one year old, my grandfather Casselman came to live with us. He seemed to be thrilled with the thought that he had a Casselman grandchild. My father was the first one (of his family) to have a child. By the time I was three years old, I had heard a lot of stories about Muskoka. I started writing this history of Muskoka to please my grandfather. There was a man who knew a lot about Muskoka. He died suddenly, and the history had not been written. My father (Dr. Charles Casselman), had the family letters and documents saved. He was to write 'Fifty Years in Muskoka.' But he was too busy. His colleague, Dr. Howland, was ill, and my father was trying to do his work and run his hospital for him (in Huntsville). There was no time for writing."
    She adds that, "When I was ten years old and recovering from rheumatic fever, I got started, copying what had been collected by my father's and my mother's families. My mother's grandmother was a writer, and sent stories back to England and to magazines in the United States. I had her diaries. After that, I could only write what I got for myself, from relatives and people we knew, or from some of my father's patients. But every place I went to in Muskoka, I was able to find someone who would be willing to tell me why they came to Muskoka, and some of the trials they had had. So by the time I was sent as a supply teacher by the School Inspector, H.R. Scovell (who was to become my father-in-law), I had stories about every township in the District of Muskoka.
     "After I was married, I continued to receive articles from people I knew. By the time the hundred years (history) was near, I had a trunk full of pictures, maps and documents. I saw no news in the papers about Muskoka's hundredth year, which made me fear people were not interested in the Muskoka Story. Then my husband saw in the paper that Orillia was putting up an historical plaque to Chief Yellowhead (Chief Muskoka) in Couchiching Park. It was one hundred years since his hunting grounds, opened up for settlement by the government, were renamed the Grant Lands of Muskoka. My husband (Floyd) said he would take me to the ceremony and I could at least have that news for the closing of my story of one hundred years in Muskoka. When the day came it was the wettest day that year. But we got there. Only a few people were there. Even a relative, whose name was Yellowhead, had failed to show up to unveil the plaque.
     "At the unveiling, I asked if anyone had ever seen a picture of the Chief? No likeness was on the plaque. I was told to ask Dr. C. Harold Hale, whose family had owned an Orillia newspaper. I visited several times with him, and he said he had never met anyone who knew as much about Muskoka as I did. Later he wrote and asked me if I would come to the Orillia Historical Society as the guest speaker." She notes that "The next year, I was asked to go to Port Carling. I prepared more of the early history, but did not have the time to use much of it. I stayed overnight with Miss Elizabeth Penson, a granddaughter of Mr. R.G. Penson, the lithographer, who came with his wife and family to Port Carling in 1869. One of their sons was the first white boy born in Indian Village, later called Port Carling. The sketches by Seymour Penson are in the book by W.E. Hamilton called "Muskoka and Parry Sound Districts,' (Guidebook and Atlas), published in 1869. The book could be bought from Isaac Huber, Bracebridge, or John Rogers, Port Carling. Maps could be bought for fifty cents each and the illustrations by S. Penson for twenty-five cents." It should be noted that these items today, plus an original hand coloured copy of the Guidebook and Atlas," would fetch a king's ransom on the open market amongst Muskoka memorabilia collectors.
     "I have all the maps by Mr. Rogers and all the sketches by S. Penson. My grandfather bought them to use in the history that my father promised to write. The oldest son of Richard George Penson was Seymour, the father of Miss Elizabeth Penson and her sister, Mrs Arline." Beatrice Scovell notes that "Later in 1880, Mr. Penson built Ferndale House, on Lake Rosseau."
     She concludes her introduction, reporting that "I had two grandfathers who knew Chief Muskoka when the area now known as Muskoka was the summer land of the Indians who had him as their chief. One great grandfather came in 1844 to visit his cousin Titus Hibbert-Ware, in Orillia. They were both from England. The other great-grandfather met Chief Muskoka (Chief Yellowhead) when he brought his warriors to help the British in the War of 1812-1814. This was great grandfather Captain John Casselman, a United Empire Loyalist from west of Cornwall."
     "Now in 1971, I have been working on the Muskoka Story for more than sixty years," wrote Mrs. Scovell. In the early 1980's, after seventy years of preparation, the text was finally ready for public scrutiny. I will provide additional editorial material from this fascinating rare book in tomorrow's post. Thank you for joining me to re-visit this rather obscure but well founded local history that to date, has been under-recognized for its valuable content.