Colonial Lady

The story

             The “Colonial Lady”, sometimes called the “Umbrella Girl”, assembled in these same colour tones of beige and brown, mean a great deal to Clare MacGregor. This very old quilt design was a favorite of Clare`s mother, Verna MacGregor. She made one in the same colours for each of her children: Clare and his two sisters. As well, she made one for Colleen, Chris and Kim, who are Clare and Barb`s children.

Clare`s parents, Ford and Verna bought this farm property of 100 acres in the spring of 1949 and from that point on were ‘farmer-entrepeneurs’! In the mid 50`s, Ford acquired the first self-propelled combine in the immediate area. He used it for his own crop harvest, as well as for doing custom work for others. Ford also had the first forage harvester in the area and filled many silos with corn ensilage over the years. Ford always had a cattle truck and weekly trucked cattle for area farmers, first to the weigh scales by the railroad tracks in Parkhill and then on to Toronto for the Monday sale. He worked for a cattle drover, Wilson Blanchard from West Williams Township.

Ford`s son, Clare married Barb in 1961 and moved to this farm. By 1967, they had acquired laying hens and it was Verna and Barb`s job to daily collect eggs, which were picked up and taken to the Parkhill grading station. Now they are picked up weekly by Gray Ridge Farms. In the early years, the MacGregors milked cows by hand, separating the cream from the milk and putting the cream in a cool room.

Clare and Barb`s son Chris married Connie in 1996. They live on the MacGregor grandfather`s farm across the road. They are becoming the third generation of the farm operation which became CBC MacGregor Farms Ltd.

Currently, this farming family fatten beef cattle, have a layer barn and grow cash crops. Together Barb and Connie collect eggs by hand, about 8000 a day.

It is hard work but it is something they all love!

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Name of sponsor of Barn Quilt : Clare and Barb MacGregor

Location

Colonial Lady