Remembering Emmer Dennis

Emmerson Dennis

Machinist and Story Teller Extraordinaire

Dennis Family Background

Thomas Alexander Dennis came to Canada from England as a child with his parents in 1845.  He arrived in McKillop Township in 1866 and lived on Concession XIII North, Lot 19 and raised a family of 4 sons and 3 daughters.

Two of the sons, Harry and John, formed a partnership and ran a threshing outfit for many years.  (A picture of their outfit may be seen in the McKillop Township history book.)  The steam engine that provided power for threshing also ran the grinder and the saw that cut wood for heating the house.

Thomas Henry (Harry)’s Family

Thos.’s son Harry, married Matilda Forbes and they had 5 sons: Ephraim Edward, called Eph., and Wilson, called Wils, and Porter Allen, called Port, and Emmerson, called Emmer, and Lloyd.

Emmer, born December 26, 1885, at Lot 15, Concession 14 south, McKillop Township, was the only boy in the family who went to high school.  He attended Brussels Continuation School.  At age 17, he headed west to join his brother, Wils, in a lumber camp in B.C.  He would go west for the winter and come back in the spring to plant his crop in McKillop.  Before returning home for good, Emmer tried his hand at homesteading in Alberta.

As the boys grew up, several of them, went west as farmers and adventurers.  One of them, of course, was Emmerson, who came home around 1920 -1922.  He had trained as a machinist in B.C. and used that trade as he made his way home.  Once there, he set up shop on the home farm.  During the summer, he worked at home and with neighbouring farmers.  In the winter he did lathe work and repaired local machinery.  He was likely inventing things as he did in later life.

Mrs. Dennis was always urging the 5 boys to marry.  With a household of men, she longed for a female family member or two.  The family still has a letter that she wrote to Wils telling him that she had spent $25.00 (a huge amount at that time) for a dress for his wedding which never did occur.  Perhaps she wore it to other weddings.

Emmer was always a great tease and loved to tell yarns and play tricks.  While out west he had a picture postcard made of himself standing with a young woman and a baby, which he sent home.  Of course he had neither wife nor baby at that time.

Around 1934 a widow, Barbara Shultz, took the job as hired girl on the home farm in McKillop, and helped keep the household running.

One morning in April of 1937, to the family’s surprise, neither Emmer nor Barb were there.  Perhaps they left a note saying they had gone to be married.

Emmer Dennis, Blyth, Ontario

The newly weds made their home on Drummond Street in Blyth where Emmer had a machine shop.  He sharpened lawn mowers, better than anyone else, I am told.  He made parts for machinery, repaired and built guns, and worked with Russell Dougherty who had been a neighbour in McKillop, to make machinery for his turnip plant.  In the 1930s, Russell started the turnip waxing plant in his garage on Queen Street in Blyth, thus giving work to 5 men.  Emmer helped Russell make his dream and plans for a precision turnip seeder a reality.  Emmer would have been the only man in Blyth at the time with the technical skills, the necessary equipment,  and experience to do such a job.  He had learned the trade of machinist in B.C. many years before.  Both Emmer and Russell were held in high regard in the village for their intelligence and kindness to others.

People of Blyth believed Emmer could fix anything, no matter how complicated.

Emmer and Barb's Home on Drummond Street, Blyth

In his shop was a large bull’s eye with bullet holes only in the centre.  Some adventuresome sort snuck around and peeked in the window and discovered the secret.  One of Emmer’s guns, aimed at the bull’s eye, was held securely in a vise.  The bull’s eye was proof of the excellence of the guns he was actually making.  The gun was held in the vise to align the sights.  His nephew recalls that he would put the gun in the vise and open the east door of his shop, outside of which, he had a target set up with a bale of hay for support.

Emmerson also made a long bow and a cross bow.  When nephews would come to visit, he would let the boys try using them.  He set up cardboard boxes behind the target to stop the arrows that missed the target.

As long as children were reasonably well behaved, Emmer would let them hang around his shop and watch as he worked and entertained them with his tall tales.  Many boys had permission from their mothers to go straight to Emmer’s after school.

One story he told was about his experience during a tornado out west.  He was carrying a plank across his shoulders when the tornado came out of nowhere, caught that plank and screwed him right into the ground.

He mesmerized children with his tales of the alligators he had “for sure” seen in the Blyth Creek to the north of his house.  He even convinced them that he knew how the critters made their way there.

He had discovered native artifacts on the McMillan farm at the east end of the village of Blyth.  He often took boys there to dig.  Johnny Morritt, when 80 years old, spoke warmly of those child hood experiences.  Emmer told the boys that what they were finding proved that Indians had camped at that site by the Blyth Creek.  His own interest in the artifacts began when he was a boy and many arrow heads were discovered on the home farm. 

Emmer never owned a car and often men who were going out of town would invite him along.  His company was always entertaining.  One day Harold Vodden and his son Brock, 16, asked him to go to Kitchener.  On the way home they ate steaks at a restaurant.  At home again, he told Barb, “You should have seen the steak this young lad ate.  It was this big!”and he indicated a platter size.

To be allowed to visit the Dennises on Hallowe’en Night was a treat coveted by all Blyth children.  Barb and Emmer welcomed all visitors warmly.  If lucky, they would hear some of Emmer’s stories.  On the table would be a mound of popcorn balls.  Before the witches and hobgoblins were allowed to take one, they had to sing a song or recite a poem.  In later years, as Barb’s health declined, she was no longer able to make the famous popcorn balls but neither she nor Emmer would want to disappoint the children, so they put out saucers of freshly popped corn for each visitor.

One time, when Barb was in hospital in London, around 1949, Emmer walked up to The Standard Office where I, aged 13, worked on Saturdays.  He wanted a special card for Barb.  He asked me to write in it, a most affectionate note, which he dictated.  He had the address on a piece of paper for me to copy to the envelope.  I wondered if he couldn’t write but of course he could as he had attended Continuation School and had his machinist papers.

Barb passed away in 1964 and Emmerson Dennis in 1970.

Whenever his name is mentioned, people immediately smile as they at once recall a tall tale he told, or a trick he played, or a kindness he did.  Chuckles follow smiles and many exchanges of memories occur.

To be remembered always with a smile

is

a well-earned living memorial to the life

of

Emmerson Dennis.

This story was written after visits with Emmer’s nephew, Murray and his wife, Oline (Godkin) Dennis, at the Dennis home farm in November 2010.  They kindly shared pictures and stories to add to those we had collected earlier.

Janis (Morritt) Vodden

Repository of Blyth History                              November 18, 2010.