Jeremiah [Jay] Houseman was born in Gig Harbour, Washington. His mother was Clemmie Elizabeth Neil from Nebraska and his father Harvey Edward Houseman from Virginia. They brought with them 16 head of horses and his mother drove a democrat. He has some memories of the trip but not many. They went first to Alberta and then shipped everything to Ashcroft. From Ashcroft they took the road over Pavillion Mountain because the other road was so bad. Jack Duboise ran the 83 Mile House and it took six teams to pull the wagon over the 83 Mile hill because the mud was so bad. They arrived in 100 Mile House on the 9th of May 1918. Jeremiah was four years old
They had made no prior arrangements about land and settled next to Ed Goodridge just this side of Houseman Road. There was an old Frenchman called Napoleon Fisset who lived one mile on the other side of Goodridge. His father took a pre emption located at the end of Houseman Road and filed in Clinton for $2.50. They were required to do $1500 in improvements. Ten acres had to be cleared and cultivated within 10 years. The property was inspected annually by the local forest ranger who came around on horseback. That summer they camped in a tent set up under a tree. The built a log house (14’ X 28’) on the same spot and lived in it for 15 years. They had no furniture although they had brought along a few things including some beds. Jeremiah has no memory of a stove but his dad probably bought on in Clinton. It was a one week trip to go to Clinton and back by wagon and team. There was also a store at 100 Mile House, a bunkhouse and a cookhouse. A man called Wheeler ran the store
Once that they had met the requirement on the first homestead they took a second. They were also able to buy land for $1 an acre or lease it for 10 cents an acre. Jay’s brother was Lorne Herman Houseman.
The family raised milk cows which they bought at the 107 mile for $250 each. They also grew and sold a lot of grain. They sold eggs at 9 cents a dozen. When not ranching Jeremiah’s dad worked on the railway. After 1927 things went downhill and during the 1930s you couldn’t give a cow away.
Jay and his brother Lorne went to Forest Grove School. It was eight miles and in winter he remembers that it took all day to warm up. He finished grade 3 and started grade 4 but didn’t like school. He recalls that he and Herbie Auld tried to burn the school down but couldn’t get the fire going. The teacher that he particularly recalls disliking was a man called Grant.
Dances were held regularly in the Forest Grove School by gaslight. He tells us that he and Herbie Auld filled the lamps with water but Elsie Sandback told the teacher and they got in big trouble. One night they locked the teacher in his cabin and the next day the teacher beat Herbie, Daymond and Jay. Jay was hit so hard that his hand was scarred. He was so upset that he punched the teacher in the nose. Finally he was able, with Herbie, to burn the school down. (Can this be true?)
Becker was the local school trustee and Jay complained to him with the result that Mr. Grant lost his job… He wasn’t a popular teacher and Jay admits that he was in the wrong but the strapping he received was too brutal or so he recalls. In any event Jay quit school although his brother continued.
He left home at 14 and went to work hauling hay from Lester McNeil’s on Canim Lake to Exeter. Jay was too small to harness the team so Lester would do it for him. He recalls that the horses were really big – 17 or 18 hands. They hay was unloaded by hand at Exeter. He later worked at the 105 Mile as a cowboy. He also worked one winter on the Gang Ranch. When he was 13 years old he trapped all one winter on Timothy Mountain with George Borthwick and Al Blasil ?. At various times he cut ties for the PGE. There was always someone willing to do this for board and $5 a month. At age 14 he had his own contract with the PGE. Herb Richards had a contract for 500 ties - $175. You could only cut ties in the winter because of the sap in the wood. He guided for 17 years but was shut down in 1954. He caught wild horses with old Jack Dubois who ran a heard of over 1000 horses.
Dubois was an outstanding rider and roper. When he gave Jay riding lessons he would quirt his hands every time he reached for the saddle horn. He also made him ride blindfolded. Jay wanted to get into the rodeo circuit but his parents wouldn’t let him go without his brother.
Jay’s dad worked as a teamster driving the grader for Public Works.
Jeremiah was married in 1934 and his new wife (no name mentioned) brought two cows to the marriage. In addition they had a saddle horse and 35 cents. They filed for a homestead 3 miles north of the 108 Mile House about a mile above Sucker Lake and lived there until 1939. He sold it for $360 and this included a house, barn and some nice meadows.
There were more tapes but he rambles and it is difficult to follow.
Vital Event Death Registration
Name: Clemy Houseman
Event Date: 1940 8 27 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Age: 56
Gender: female
Event Place: Kamloops
Reg. Number: 1940-09-576875
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number: B13169
GSU Microfilm Number: 1953629
Vital Event Death Registration
Name: Harvey Edward Houseman
Event Date: 1961 10 14 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Age: 81
Gender: male
Event Place: Williams Lake
Reg. Number: 1961-09-015159
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number: B13254
GSU Microfilm Number: 2033375
Vital Event Death Registration
Name: Edna Marie Houseman
Event Date: 1941 12 7 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Age: 26
Gender: female
Event Place: Williams Lake
Reg. Number: 1941-09-598933
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number: B13173
GSU Microfilm Number: 1953633