Biogrphical scetch of William Hartley, by Fontella Hartley Erickson
William Hartley was born 16 January at Coal Branch, Madison, Illinois in the year 1864. His father's name was also William Hartley. He was a coal miner.
His mother's name was Margaret Stewart. She was a school teacher.
My father was bright in school and the other children called him the teacher's pet. It wasn't his mother that taught him because has father and mother were divorced when he was two years old. In those days the father always got the children, so my dad was raised by his father. When he was young he lived in a boarding house with his father. He was the only child, but his mother did get married later in years and he did have half brothers and sisters. He never knew how many, but he was told that she had remarried and had children.
My father was taken out of school when he was twelve years old by his father to work in the coal mines. He liked school very much and longed to go back.
He went to Scotland with his dad when twelve and worked in the mines.
I never remember hearing him say how long they stayed in Scotland, but he would sometimes recall things like the ship or the coal mines.
He married Emerald Dearden on May 8, 1885 in Logan, Utah. They lived in Pleasant Green, where present day Magna is. Dad went to a night school in Pleasant Green. I don't know for how long, but it was before coming to Canada. He also had an aunt who taught him how to read music. Not A B C , etc., but Do Ray Me... She also taught how to beat time. He could take a song he had never heard or sung, one that was strange to him, and he could learn to sing it, any part. Without a pitch or any instrument, he could leant all the parts, quartet, trio, duet, or any part, and sing it beautifully.
When Russell (his son, William Russell) bought the old house of Passey's, before he built his new home, there was a Violin in the house. Russell brought it home and my Dad could play all those old tunes by ear. It was real fun. My father played a mouth organ real well. I have heard him play an accordian, but he never owned one.
Father came to Canada in 1901 and took out his Canadian citizenship november 9, 1904 registered with the N. W. T. He went to Fort Macleod, Alberta to do this. He farmed at Stirling and at Wrentham. He had cattle at one time. He, Russell and Harvey had sixteen hundred sheep at one time, also a sheepcamp and a sheepherder. They sold everything when they went to Oregon. They left in the fall of 1915 and came back again in the spring of 1916, just staying one winter. He again farmed at Stirling.
This is when they added onto the brick house that was built in 1907 and built the big barn that still stands.
He and two other men brought the first Chautauqua to Stirling. It was really nice and is still talked about among the old timers. Dad helped set up the big tent, like a circus tent, and they had two shows each day for three days. Variety, real good talent, stick tricks, magic, drama, music; each show was different. Father was involved in this for several years.
He was a trustee for the schoolboard in the States and in Canada. He was Pres.
of the U.F.A. once in Stirling. He sang tenor in the choir in the States and in Canada til the last few years.
He had one of the first cars in Stirling. A new McLaughlin Buick. Often, in summer time when we used to come to Lethbridge he would tell us to plan to get finished shopping early and we would spend a little time in the park, Galt Gardens, before going home. Father loved roses, gardens, apple trees and all beauty. Thinking back, Father brings only fond memories to me.
Born on ship Emerald Isle enroute from Europe. This voyage of the Emerald Isle left Liverpool on 6/20/1868, and arrived in New York on August 14, 55 days later.