Consul-general of Japan visits Bedeque Museum
Impressed with exhibit on one of P.E.I.’s first Japanese Canadian evacuees - the Mizuno family
Bedeque Area Historical Museum was stirred from its winter slumber this week to welcome a special guest. Jun Saito, Consul-General of Japan in Montreal, stopped by to view an exhibit on the Mizuno family, a Japanese Canadian family who lived in Central Bedeque from 1946 to 1952.
He was welcomed by Bedeque resident, Catherine Callbeck, who told the story of how her grandfather, William Callbeck, invited the Mizuno family to come settle in Bedeque, establishing a connection between the two families that has endured decades.
He was welcomed by Bedeque resident, Catherine Callbeck, who told the story of how her grandfather, William Callbeck, invited the Mizuno family to come settle in Bedeque, establishing a connection between the two families that has endured decades.
Jun Saito, Consul-General of Japan in Montreal, left, was presented with a gift from Catherine Callbeck of Bedeque, during his visit to the Bedeque Area Historical Museum on Nov. 28. They are standing in front of the exhibit on the Mizuno family, one of the first Japanese-Canadian settler families in P.E.I. The exhibit opened in July.
George and Kimiyo Mizuno and their four children were among the many Japanese families living in Canada who were forced from their homes and into internment camps during the Second World War.
After the war ended, the interned were given the ultimatum to move somewhere in Canada outside British Colombia or return to Japan.
Callbeck explained that her aunt Louise Callbeck, who had worked as a missionary and teacher in Japan for 20 years, learned of the Mizuno family through a fellow missionary worker. Being sympathetic to the plight of these Japanese Canadians, Louise’s father William agreed to provide a home and farmland for the evacuees. The Mizunos are believed to be the first of these evacuee families to settle on P.E.I. when they moved to Central Bedeque in 1946.
“It’s good to know of this Japanese family who came here and were placed in the hands of good people,” said Consul-General Saito after hearing the Mizunos’ story.
“It’s so important that you made this exhibit for the Japanese people and the Mizuno descendants,” he said, expressing his gratitude on behalf of his government and the Japanese people.
“You are preserving the footprints of Japanese Canadians here.”
The Nov. 28 visit by the Consul-General, whose jurisdiction covers Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces, was his second to P.E.I. since being appointed to this post in October 2021.
Saito expressed a hope that the exhibit would attract more Japanese visitors and the surviving Mizuno family members.
Callbeck indicated some of the family members, including sons Paul and Percy, are planning to visit the exhibit next summer.
Despite living and farming in Bedeque only six years, the Mizuno family’s involvement in the community, church and school endeared them to area residents. They also formed a connection to the Callbeck family which remains intact 70 years later.
By Darlene Shea
After the war ended, the interned were given the ultimatum to move somewhere in Canada outside British Colombia or return to Japan.
Callbeck explained that her aunt Louise Callbeck, who had worked as a missionary and teacher in Japan for 20 years, learned of the Mizuno family through a fellow missionary worker. Being sympathetic to the plight of these Japanese Canadians, Louise’s father William agreed to provide a home and farmland for the evacuees. The Mizunos are believed to be the first of these evacuee families to settle on P.E.I. when they moved to Central Bedeque in 1946.
“It’s good to know of this Japanese family who came here and were placed in the hands of good people,” said Consul-General Saito after hearing the Mizunos’ story.
“It’s so important that you made this exhibit for the Japanese people and the Mizuno descendants,” he said, expressing his gratitude on behalf of his government and the Japanese people.
“You are preserving the footprints of Japanese Canadians here.”
The Nov. 28 visit by the Consul-General, whose jurisdiction covers Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces, was his second to P.E.I. since being appointed to this post in October 2021.
Saito expressed a hope that the exhibit would attract more Japanese visitors and the surviving Mizuno family members.
Callbeck indicated some of the family members, including sons Paul and Percy, are planning to visit the exhibit next summer.
Despite living and farming in Bedeque only six years, the Mizuno family’s involvement in the community, church and school endeared them to area residents. They also formed a connection to the Callbeck family which remains intact 70 years later.
By Darlene Shea
Jun Saito (second from left), Consul-General of Japan in Montreal, dropped in to the Bedeque Area Historical Museum this week to view an exhibit on the Mizuno family. The Consul-General was welcomed by Bedeque and Area Historical Society members, Percy Affleck, left, and Darlene Shea, right. Catherine Callbeck of Bedeque, whose family provided the Mizunos a home and farmland, was on hand to tell the story of the Japanese-Canadian family who lived in Central Bedeque from 1946 to 1952.
Warming the parlour
This week’s item is a parlour stove which once belonged to Edna Jenkins of Bedeque. Edna resided in the Bedeque Village next to the United Church Manse. Edna’s brother was Dr. Henry Moyse who had an office in Bedeque. Edna married a man named Wally Jenkins who was a farmer in Lower Bedeque. Edna also taught piano lessons and Sunday School from her home. This stove would have likely sat in her home’s parlour as the sound of piano notes and conversations filled the air.
Wood burning stoves were first patented in 1557 which was about two centuries before the Industrial Revolution began. The industrial revolution would make iron a much cheaper and affordable material, but before this, a cast iron stove would have only been able to be purchased by more affluent households. For this reason, parlour stoves often feature elaborate designs and decor. After the Industrial Revolution, the price of iron declined and stoves became more common in many households. In the early 19th century, parlour stoves began to be used on Prince Edward Island.
This week’s item is a parlour stove which once belonged to Edna Jenkins of Bedeque. Edna resided in the Bedeque Village next to the United Church Manse. Edna’s brother was Dr. Henry Moyse who had an office in Bedeque. Edna married a man named Wally Jenkins who was a farmer in Lower Bedeque. Edna also taught piano lessons and Sunday School from her home. This stove would have likely sat in her home’s parlour as the sound of piano notes and conversations filled the air.
Wood burning stoves were first patented in 1557 which was about two centuries before the Industrial Revolution began. The industrial revolution would make iron a much cheaper and affordable material, but before this, a cast iron stove would have only been able to be purchased by more affluent households. For this reason, parlour stoves often feature elaborate designs and decor. After the Industrial Revolution, the price of iron declined and stoves became more common in many households. In the early 19th century, parlour stoves began to be used on Prince Edward Island.
Piece of Aviation history
This week's item is an airplane part that comes from the nose of an Avro Anson Mark V advanced trainer aircraft from World War II. The Avro Anson MkV was a wooden training aircraft that was developed because wartime production caused a lack of steel and other metals used for the war effort. The first MkV Anson flight was made in 1943. The MkV was used mainly to train BCATP (British Commonwealth Air Training Plan) aircrews how to navigate, perform bombing missions, take aerial photographs and operate onboard radios.
Wooden aircraft were a common sight on PEI during World War II as aircraft would come and go from the air force base in Summerside. Thus, the origin of the wooden nose part on display at the museum was uncertain. The nose piece was originally rumored to be from a Mosquito Mark 25 fighter bomber which crashed into Bedeque Bay on 10 December, 1944. The Mosquito aircraft was on its way to England from Dorval, Quebec and had just taken off after a pit stop at the RCAF Summerside base. Conditions the night of December 10 were poor and snow squalls hampered visibility. The lighthouse keeper at Sea Cow Head said he could not see the crash but that he could hear it. A ferry ship, the “Prince Edward Island” searched for survivors but found only bits of wreckage floating on the water. Information on the personnel aboard the Mosquito fighter bomber revealed that the pilot was Norwegian Sub-Lieutenant Sigmund Breck (who had just gotten engaged to one of the daughters of the Canadian family that had hosted him during his time in Canada) and the navigator was an Australian airmen named Francis Edward Sorensen. However, the part on display could not have come from this rumored origin as it was discovered that Mosquitoes were never painted yellow during the war. It was then found by the Alberta Aviation Museum and the National Air Force Museum of Canada that the parts come from an Avro Anson MkV training aircraft that was bought after the war.
Though the part is from a training aircraft, not the Mosquito fighter bomber which crashed on 10 December, 1944, it showcases the story of Breck and Sorensen which highlights the dangers that men and women who serve in the armed forces face as well as of the sacrifices they make. It also showcases the Island`s military and aviation history.
Written by Caleb Coyle
Wooden aircraft were a common sight on PEI during World War II as aircraft would come and go from the air force base in Summerside. Thus, the origin of the wooden nose part on display at the museum was uncertain. The nose piece was originally rumored to be from a Mosquito Mark 25 fighter bomber which crashed into Bedeque Bay on 10 December, 1944. The Mosquito aircraft was on its way to England from Dorval, Quebec and had just taken off after a pit stop at the RCAF Summerside base. Conditions the night of December 10 were poor and snow squalls hampered visibility. The lighthouse keeper at Sea Cow Head said he could not see the crash but that he could hear it. A ferry ship, the “Prince Edward Island” searched for survivors but found only bits of wreckage floating on the water. Information on the personnel aboard the Mosquito fighter bomber revealed that the pilot was Norwegian Sub-Lieutenant Sigmund Breck (who had just gotten engaged to one of the daughters of the Canadian family that had hosted him during his time in Canada) and the navigator was an Australian airmen named Francis Edward Sorensen. However, the part on display could not have come from this rumored origin as it was discovered that Mosquitoes were never painted yellow during the war. It was then found by the Alberta Aviation Museum and the National Air Force Museum of Canada that the parts come from an Avro Anson MkV training aircraft that was bought after the war.
Though the part is from a training aircraft, not the Mosquito fighter bomber which crashed on 10 December, 1944, it showcases the story of Breck and Sorensen which highlights the dangers that men and women who serve in the armed forces face as well as of the sacrifices they make. It also showcases the Island`s military and aviation history.
Written by Caleb Coyle
Egg Incubator
This week's item is an egg incubator which was built by the Buckeye Incubator Company in Springfield, Ohio, USA. The Buckeye Company was founded in 1893 and lasted until about 1961. This table looking machine was used to hatch the eggs of domestic fowls such as chicken, duck and goose, though it could be used for just about any fertilized bird egg. The incubator gave its owner the ability to control the temperature and humidity of the air around the eggs to simulate a mother bird incubating the eggs naturally. Furthermore, an incubator could hatch as many eggs as one could fit inside while a hen can only hatch as many eggs as she can fit underneath her. Thus incubators increased the amount of chicks one could hatch every batch, which to farmers means more profit. In order to get heat inside of the incubator an oil lamp was lit and placed under the metal chimney on the side of the machine. Typically, eggs would hatch after about 21 days at a temperature range of 38-39*C. From days 1-18 the humidity was to be at about 45% while for the last three it was to be at 65%. The incubator was given to the Bedeque Area Historical Society as a part of Howard Clark’s collection in 2010.
Written by Caleb Coyle
This week's item is an egg incubator which was built by the Buckeye Incubator Company in Springfield, Ohio, USA. The Buckeye Company was founded in 1893 and lasted until about 1961. This table looking machine was used to hatch the eggs of domestic fowls such as chicken, duck and goose, though it could be used for just about any fertilized bird egg. The incubator gave its owner the ability to control the temperature and humidity of the air around the eggs to simulate a mother bird incubating the eggs naturally. Furthermore, an incubator could hatch as many eggs as one could fit inside while a hen can only hatch as many eggs as she can fit underneath her. Thus incubators increased the amount of chicks one could hatch every batch, which to farmers means more profit. In order to get heat inside of the incubator an oil lamp was lit and placed under the metal chimney on the side of the machine. Typically, eggs would hatch after about 21 days at a temperature range of 38-39*C. From days 1-18 the humidity was to be at about 45% while for the last three it was to be at 65%. The incubator was given to the Bedeque Area Historical Society as a part of Howard Clark’s collection in 2010.
Written by Caleb Coyle
Coffin Family Pump Organ
This week's item is a late 19th century pump organ manufactured by the Dominion Organ & Piano Company of Bowmanville, Ontario. This instrument was donated to the museum by Gaelyne and Frank MacAulay of Chelton, PEI. The organ was a centerpiece in the Coffin family living room in Morell as people practiced for upcoming Church events or took requests from the family audience gathered in the living room. The instrument resembles an upright piano but differs in how the sound is produced by the instrument. When a key is pressed on a piano, a hammer is triggered which strikes a metal string causing it to produce a sound. On a pump organ, one must use their feet (some models required the musician to use a hand pump) to push down pedals which pushed air past a vibrating piece of metal (called a reed) to create a noise. Pump organs became popular in the 19th century as they were much easier to transport than a larger pipe organ but were not as loud and had less tonal range. Due to its increased mobility and reduced volume, pump organs were widely used in homes such as the Coffin’s in Morell and in smaller churches.
Written by Caleb Coyle
This week's item is a late 19th century pump organ manufactured by the Dominion Organ & Piano Company of Bowmanville, Ontario. This instrument was donated to the museum by Gaelyne and Frank MacAulay of Chelton, PEI. The organ was a centerpiece in the Coffin family living room in Morell as people practiced for upcoming Church events or took requests from the family audience gathered in the living room. The instrument resembles an upright piano but differs in how the sound is produced by the instrument. When a key is pressed on a piano, a hammer is triggered which strikes a metal string causing it to produce a sound. On a pump organ, one must use their feet (some models required the musician to use a hand pump) to push down pedals which pushed air past a vibrating piece of metal (called a reed) to create a noise. Pump organs became popular in the 19th century as they were much easier to transport than a larger pipe organ but were not as loud and had less tonal range. Due to its increased mobility and reduced volume, pump organs were widely used in homes such as the Coffin’s in Morell and in smaller churches.
Written by Caleb Coyle
SS Prince Edward Island
This very fine model of the SS (Steam Ship) Prince Edward Island was crafted by Everett Campbell in 1978. The vessel was operated by CN Marine and its predecessors for over fifty years, from 1917 to 1968, and served the residents of Prince Edward Island and Canada by ferrying railway cars, passengers and vehicles across the Northumberland Strait from Borden, PEI to Cape Tormentine, NB. “The Prince”, as it was popularly known, was built between March and October 1914 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in England and measured in at 285 feet long, 21 feet high and 52 feet wide. The Prince was the first vessel to be able to transport railway cars across the Northumberland Strait which helped facilitate the flow of goods and produce to and from the Island. It was also the first ice-breaker to successfully maintain winter crossings across the strait. Before the Prince came into operation, the goods onboard the trains had to be unloaded, loaded onto the ferry, then unloaded from the ferry and loaded onto a different train on the other side of Strait. When the Prince was put into service, the trains themselves could be loaded onto the ferry with their cargo onboard which eliminated the need for constant loading and unloading. In the early years motor cars were at first driven onto flat cars and transported by train, but as vehicles became more common, in the 1920s the railway deck was converted to allow cars to drive directly on and off. The Prince made its last crossing in 1968.
This very fine model of the SS (Steam Ship) Prince Edward Island was crafted by Everett Campbell in 1978. The vessel was operated by CN Marine and its predecessors for over fifty years, from 1917 to 1968, and served the residents of Prince Edward Island and Canada by ferrying railway cars, passengers and vehicles across the Northumberland Strait from Borden, PEI to Cape Tormentine, NB. “The Prince”, as it was popularly known, was built between March and October 1914 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in England and measured in at 285 feet long, 21 feet high and 52 feet wide. The Prince was the first vessel to be able to transport railway cars across the Northumberland Strait which helped facilitate the flow of goods and produce to and from the Island. It was also the first ice-breaker to successfully maintain winter crossings across the strait. Before the Prince came into operation, the goods onboard the trains had to be unloaded, loaded onto the ferry, then unloaded from the ferry and loaded onto a different train on the other side of Strait. When the Prince was put into service, the trains themselves could be loaded onto the ferry with their cargo onboard which eliminated the need for constant loading and unloading. In the early years motor cars were at first driven onto flat cars and transported by train, but as vehicles became more common, in the 1920s the railway deck was converted to allow cars to drive directly on and off. The Prince made its last crossing in 1968.
Alexander Anderson’s Copper Boiler
This large Copper Boiler once belonged to Alexander Anderson, a Scottish soldier who fought in a Highland Regiment during the Revolutionary War and was later one of the first settlers in the Sea Cow Head area. Upon being discharged from the military at the end of the war, he traveled from near Kingston to Quebec where it is presumed he purchased the boiler.
He intended to use this copper boiler to make potash, which was obtained from the ash of burned hardwood trees by leaching (i.e. dripping) water through the ash. The liquid coming out of the leaching process was then turned into solid potash by boiling it down in a boiler like this one. Potash-making was a major industry in what later became Upper Canada during the periods of heavy forest clearing. The potash was exported to Britain where it was used to make soap, glass, textiles and gunpowder.
After Anderson came to the Island he found that there was not a sufficient quantity of hardwood ash of good quality and instead he used the boiler to make maple sugar since the Island’s hardwood forests were home to many sugar maple trees. Making maple sugar was a common way of increasing a family's resources and was the principal sweetener for the early settlers.
The boiler is one of the oldest objects in the Bedeque Museum where it is part of the Loyalist exhibit. It has been kindly loaned to the Museum by Ranald McFarlane of Fernwood, a descendant of Alexander Anderson. A panel display in the Museum tells the story of Alexander Anderson and his descendants.
This large Copper Boiler once belonged to Alexander Anderson, a Scottish soldier who fought in a Highland Regiment during the Revolutionary War and was later one of the first settlers in the Sea Cow Head area. Upon being discharged from the military at the end of the war, he traveled from near Kingston to Quebec where it is presumed he purchased the boiler.
He intended to use this copper boiler to make potash, which was obtained from the ash of burned hardwood trees by leaching (i.e. dripping) water through the ash. The liquid coming out of the leaching process was then turned into solid potash by boiling it down in a boiler like this one. Potash-making was a major industry in what later became Upper Canada during the periods of heavy forest clearing. The potash was exported to Britain where it was used to make soap, glass, textiles and gunpowder.
After Anderson came to the Island he found that there was not a sufficient quantity of hardwood ash of good quality and instead he used the boiler to make maple sugar since the Island’s hardwood forests were home to many sugar maple trees. Making maple sugar was a common way of increasing a family's resources and was the principal sweetener for the early settlers.
The boiler is one of the oldest objects in the Bedeque Museum where it is part of the Loyalist exhibit. It has been kindly loaned to the Museum by Ranald McFarlane of Fernwood, a descendant of Alexander Anderson. A panel display in the Museum tells the story of Alexander Anderson and his descendants.
This object is a turnip seeder, having been brought into use some time around 1920 – 1930. It can do three things at once making it easier and faster than doing it by hand. It consists of a wheel that creates a trench on the front and a metal container with holes that drops out the seeds when pushed, followed by a flat piece of wood that covers the seeds with soil.
Donated by Percy Affleck.
Written by Callie Campbell
