Fall 2015

     I took these photos the other morning at day break.  The homestead looks good following another summer.  

     Then I went out the road and took a photo of our little Holy Trinity Alma Anglican Church at daybreak.  The church was consecrated on Oct. 20, 1890 - 125 years ago next week!

     We've hosted two birthday partys at the homestead in the past few weeks - that for our mother Verna on September 16th - her 75th birthday; and for our father Wilbert who turned 85 years old on October 5th!

     The birthday cakes were made by Diane - Mom got an extra birthday carrot cake made by her 96-year-old mother, Empress.

     We had a great garden this summer - we were overflowing with yellow and green beans, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, carrots, beats, kale, lettuce and pumpkins!

Mid Summer 2015

     The homestead is looking good these days, sorry that we don't have visitors staying this summer due to our well water problems.
     We have a great vegetable garden, Mom and Dad are enjoying vegetables already - I spent the morning pulling weeds!!

3 Owners in 150 Years at the Homestead

     Since 1860 there have been only been three owners of the Jeffery Homestead on the Centerline Road, Alma, PEI.
     First was the man who established the homestead, Stephen Emmanuel Jeffery (1830-1911), pictured below with his third wife, Jane Collicutt (1842-1914) of Lot 7, PEI.  They were married in July 1868 and raised ten sons (four from first marriage) and two daughters at this homestead.   
     Stephen's first wife, Maria Fields died in childbirth with their daughter in 1865 or 1866.  Also, Stephen's second wife Mary Ann Lewis is thought to have died in childbirth in 1867.
     Stephen was a blacksmith and farmer and a great church man - being the first warden of Holy Trinity Anglican church in Alma.

     The second owners were David Jeffery ( 1881-1963), son of Stephen & Jane and his wife Bessie Nichols (1884-1972) of Berwick, NS.  The photo below was taken on their Wedding day January 1, 1919.  David farmed and Bessie taught music lessons.  They had no children.  Bessie played the organ at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Alma.   In the early 1920's David and Bessie had a major renovation done to the farmhouse which included building a kitchen wing and large verandah - the local carpenter was Bruno Peters.

     The third owners are Wilbert Jeffery (1930- ) and his wife Verna McDowell (1940- ) of Knutsford, PEI.  Wilbert and Verna raised five sons and two daughters here.  Wilbert is the grandson of David's brother Abram.  In the 1950's when David was getting older, Wilbert would help him with some of his farming.  Following David's death on January 28, 1963 Wilbert and Verna bought the farm from Bessie.  

     In 1972 Wilbert and Verna had a major renovation, including a bathroom, done to the homestead to accommodate their seven children.  Wilbert and Verna's farming operation consisted of dairy and beef cattle and potato and grain crops.  

     In 1993 they retired from dairy and potatoes and spent the next twenty years on the farm until they moved in 2013 to an apartment in Alberton.  They continue to have a large vegetable garden at the homestead.

Homestead closed to Visitors

     Sorry to say due to an issue with the failure of our water supply we are no longer renting the homestead to visitors.  We have notified PEI Tourism officials. 
     Thanks to all for your support over the past two years!

Lots to do!

     We had a great day on Saturday past doing outside work - it was nice to get things done!!  The temperature was +24C with a strong west breeze.
     We rototilled the garden, cleaned-up the flower beds, got the lawnmower serviced, cut the grass, and later in the evening I repaired the barbed-wire fence between our property and the neighbours - they'll soon be letting their cows out for the summer.
     Here's a few photos.

Spring is here!!

     Finally the weather is better and the snow is all gone following the worst winter on records!  The Daffodils at the base of the flagpole are blooming!

     Below the little granite stone and solar light at the base of the flagpole we buried a Time Capsule five years during our family picnic celebrating 200 years since the Jeffery's came to Prince Edward Island and the 150th anniversary of the settlment of this farm by Stephen E. Jeffery.

Winter 2015 - it's not going away

     Here's a few photos from around the homestead today - the snow blower guy didn't get here yet!!!  It won't be long till we're cutting grass!

Winter 2015 - continues

     I took the following photos yesterday, the first day of Spring - this evening we're having the third snow storm in 7 days!!  Surely the storms will stop soon - Prince Edward Island has broke all previous weather records for snowfall and cold.  However, when the sun did shine these past few days it's very uplifting!!

Winter 2015 - cont'd

     Well, the snow storms continue - we've had storms every three or four days since the end of January.  The schools are closed again today!  Last week the children got to school every day, however, the week before they missed the whole week from storms and heavy snow on the roads, many rural roads were one-lane wide.
     Here's the stats for February's snowfall from CBC Maritime's meteorologist Kalin Mitchell... 
     "Prince Edward Island.  Measurements taken at Charlottetown: 222.8 centimetres of snow reported February, 2015.  That is the highest amount reported for a February with records going back to 1872. The previous February record was 154.6 centimetres in 1992."
     Here are some photos around the homestead taken on Saturday past, February 28th.

     It's strange the way the snow swirls around and leaves banks of snow in place and bare ground in other places!!!

     I also went out to our little church, Holy Trinity Anglican, on the Western Road in Alma and took these photos...

     I am the present Warden of this church - I took over from my father Wilbert ten years ago.  We hold services here in summer months.  My great-great-grandfather Stephen E. Jeffery was the first warden of this church, built in 1890.  The second warden was my great-great-grandfather William A. Smith - our roots run deep here!!  

Winter 2015

     We were having not much snow until a couple of weeks ago - today is the fifth storm in two weeks!  Here's a few photos from around the homestead - lots of snow!!