Isabella MacLaren

By Rev. Bill Randall July 20, 1990 About fifty years ago the community of Harvey displayed a rather unique isolationism. As we have noted most, of the inhabitants were descendants of the original twenty-six families and many were related by ties of blood. From their background in England and Scotland they were almost unanimously anti-burghers … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall January 26, 1990 Getting ready for the Royal  Winter Fair in Toronto was a busy time for the Harvey Jersey farmers. Selecting the right animals from the herd; getting them in top condition; getting all the support systems ready – it all took weeks of careful preparation. It was this care … Read more

By  Rev. Bill Randall October 12, 1990 I had a great idea for a story this week! It would have been about a moose hunt! Surely, I thought, some of my sources would have a successful hunt…but sorry about that, no luck. How about a ‘bear’ story? I realize I’m close to infringing on Ed … Read more

By: Rev. Bill Randall November 16, 1990 During the last year our household has experimented with at least three types of mod em telephones, in the hope that a later model might overcome some of the (real or imagined) difficulties with the present model. I sort of smile to myself, because where I was brought … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall May 25, 1990 It is a pleasure for me to hear the response from the readers of the “Scrap Book” and to realize that there are so many genuinely interested in local history. This week I want to lead you back a little further in time in an attempt to understand … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall May 18, 1990 T. K. Craig went into the hospital last week to correct visual problems. Kay is ninety three years old. It is hoped that he will be able to come back and see the new truck and the new concept of Emergency Service which is provided by the Harvey Volunteer … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall May 4, 1990 July 9, 1943, was a hot, humid day with huge thunder clouds building in the sky. It seemed impracticable to cut anymore hay down, so it was a good night to go to the dance at Halford’s Hall. By intermission time, 11:00 pm, everyone was anxious to step … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall March 9, 1990 “Willis do you hear that noise yonder? Sounds like maybe Charlie’s in trouble.” Willis leaned the fork up against the barn door and looked down towards the Henry place. It was a bitter, cold, blustery evening about 6:30. Charlie Baker was the mailman and hadn’t come up from … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall March 9, 1990 On December 21, 1975, a large section of the community’s commercial district in the South-western New Brunswick Village of McAdam was destroyed by fire Sunday, when flames raced along both sides of Main Street. Four families were left homeless as a result of the fire, but none were … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall June 22, 1990 Another landmark will soon be gone! Taylor Memorial Hall first opened in 1932 by the Taylor families, due to age and redundancy will soon disappear. Before it does let’s try to recapture a little bit of its relationship to the early history of Harvey.  John Taylor came from … Read more

Rev. Bill Randall’s “From The Scrapbook” recounts the dramatic story of Werner Horn, a German agent who attempted to blow up the St. Croix Railroad Bridge at Vanceboro, Maine, in 1915 during World War I. The failed sabotage, hindered by extreme cold and poor timing, narrowly avoided becoming an international incident. Explore the history of this bridge and the near-miss event that could have changed the course of history.

By Rev. Bill Randall June 1, 1990 One of the fun things about looking backward into the past is to marvel at what inflation is doing to our sense of values. I’ve been looking back into early records of rural schools in our area. One little school which is pictured here, met the needs of … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall July 13, 1990 I was living in Edmondson in 1983 and on a visit to Harvey learned there was going to be another hall built! I have mentioned in an earlier article that I has felt Harvey had a pleura of halls, and so I sighed secretly, thinking, “Oh no, not … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall July 6, 1990 It’s finally happened! Back in the sixties I tried to organize a Harvey Historical Association. The meeting was to have been held in the St. Andrews United Church Hall (since re moved to the rear of James Coburn’s residence). Mary Coburn and Maurice Lister and I were the only … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall January 19, 1990 Though the history of Harvey is unique in that twenty-six families were settled by an Order-in-Council in 1837, their first struggle to provide shelter and food followed the normal pattern of early history. The early struggle depended upon the effort and persistence of the individual family. Except for … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall January 12, 1990 Like many long-standing buildings, the old ‘Lakeview Hotel building’ in Harvey has a rather interesting history. Located in the center of the Village, the large structure, now owned by Floyd Thompson and converted into apartments, served a variety of functions in bygone years. The Lakeview Hotel was constructed … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall February 1990 The fiddle should be the cultural symbol of Harvey. Popularized by the International Radio and Television performances of Don Messer and his Islanders, it was an outgrowth of a musical tradition that you can see when ever you get a glimpse back in time to the social life of … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall February 23, 1990 I have one athletic trophy. It’s a curling trophy. Doc Fletcher invited me to be on his team on Boxing Day 1969. Characteristically Doc’s Team was named ” The Greater”. It was a charitable act for Doc to have me as his lead rock, for I never was … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall  February 9, 1990 “There’s No Business Like Show Business” – and I found out a lot about it when I came to Harvey in the mid-50s. For the Jersey farmers of Harvey there was no business like Cattle Show Business. It had made them internationally unique. For years their Production Records … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall August 20, 1990 The community of Lake George got its name from John McGeorge, one of the pioneer settlers and the victim of a treacherous and widely heralded murder. I have before me four ac counts of the events related to the incident, and like the news stories of 1990, they … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall August 10, 1990 Syd Maclean was managing J. Clark and Sons, Harvey Branch; the business Clark’s had purchased from Herb Swan  across the road from Austin Pol lock’s. We thought it might be a good idea to encourage some Industrial exhibits for the Harvey Hospital Benefit Fair Day Parade. We got … Read more

By Rev. Bill Randall  August 17, 1990 Lloyd Embleton and I take occasional tours around the Harvey area looking for picture material for the Scrapbook items. We both could remember the Universalist Church in Little Settlement, but we had to elicit the help of Donnie Watson to find the exact location. Of course, the church … Read more