Longden Family Genealogy
William Longden and his brother
James were born in England. James was born some time between 1811
and 1815. William was born between 1818 and 1820. They came
to the United States in about 1847. William married while still in
England. They had four children - Mary, Joseph, Sarah and Richard.
Richard was born in the United States. James never married and died
in March 1878. When William came to Canada, he brought his brother
James and sons with him. Sarah remained in the States and what became
of Mary is not know, but she probably remained in the States as well.
They settled in Portage la Prairie in about 1871.
William was a general blacksmith
and very clever at his trade. He had no education and could not write
so he kept his accounts, he drew the cutomer's picture and a drawing of
the work done in his book. In his younger days, Richard drove an
ox cart on the ox train that took supplied for the telegraph line before
the railway went through. A trip to Edmonton would take all summer,
leaving in April and getting back in October. On their way west,
they would plant potatoes and on their way home, these potatoes would be
ready for eating. Richard spent a good deal of time travelling in
the wild west, living with the Indians. He learned their language
and this made him their friend. In 1920, he was referred to by an
old Indian friend as 'the white man that talked like an Indian'.
It always pleased the Indians to hear their language spoken by a white
man.
Richard acquired a quarter south west of 10-7-11 which was south of William Graham's. He cured meat for himself and the neighbours. This was pork that was killed in the spring and would get a treatment of salt brine and smoke which would keep it for the rest of the summer. He also supplied the tinsmith and blacksmith with the charcoal which they needed for heating soldering irons and melting lead. He dug a pit and covered it except for a small hole at the top and bottom. He would then light a fire and let it smolder through the pile. After being properly done, all the ventilation was but off. Within a few days, the fire would die out. When it had cooled off, the pit was opened up and the charcoal taken out and bagged for sale.
Richard and his wife, Mary Jane
McElrevy, had six children - Maud, Gertie, Lola, Annie, Emma and Jimmy.
Maud married William Graham. Gertie married Alex Jackson. Lola
was a school teacher and contracted scarlet fever and died. Annie
married Maurice Gobarts but she died during a flu epidemic in 1919.
Emma lived with her father until he retired. She then moved to Winnipeg
and married George Mckay. Jimmy died in 1894 from appendicitis.
Mary Jane (mother) died in 1909. Richard sold the farm to William
Graham in 1918 and retired to Holland. There he served as a local
police for a time. He died in 1931.