My story
I Cameron Mackenzie Short come from a long line of ancestors (only on my dad’s side).
Sheila’s (my grand mother) ancestors maternal:
Great-great grandfather James Weir was born 10 October 1899, in Edinburgh Scotland.
He died 6 June 1985. He was married to Mary Mackay and they had 6 children Jessie,
Margaret, Arthur, Donald, Heather and Eric.
Great-Great grandmother was born in Inverness, Scotland.
Sheila’s ancestors Paternal:
Great-Great-Great grandmother Marie Louise Bernier (nee Gerard) was born 26 October
16861 in St.Ethies, Trios Rivers Quebec. Married Charles Bernier had 3 children, Julia,
Charles and Mary. She died10 September, 1962 at 101 years old.
Great-Great-Great Grandfather, Charles Bernier was born 26 October 1861in Quebec and
married Marie Louise Gerard of Trios Rivieres Quebec.
Great-Great Grandmother Rozella Bernier (ne Fitzpatrick) was born 6 April 1901 in
Renfrew county Ontario. She married Charles Bernier and had children Muriel, Ella,
Lawrence, Ray, Henery, Alphonse and Kenny. She died in June 1974.
Great-Great grandfather, Charles Bernier was born10 June 1890in Muskoka/Parry Sound
district, Ontario and died in April 1972.
Walter Short (my grand father) ancestor’s Parental side:
Great-Great-grandmother Margaret Finlinson was born September 1901 in Wigton
Cumberland Country, England. She grew up in Carlisle, Cumberland Country, England.
She immigrated to Canada in the summer of1920 and settled in Decker Manitoba. She
had a son William, 31 December 1920 and married Walter Short in 1921.
Adoptive Great-Great-Grandfather Walter Short was born 15 November 1881. He was a
home child, taken off of the streets of Liverpool England. Placed with the Barnardos
orphanage and was sent to Canada in 1891. He worked on the Decker farm in Manitoba.
He married Margaret Finlinson in 1921 and adopted her son William; they had 5 children
Mona, Eric, Francis, Jimmy and Shirley.
Biological Great-Great-Grandfather unknown.
Walters Ancestors Parental side
Great-Great-Great-Great Grand mother, Hannah Critchlow. Born Hannah Finney 26 May
1824 at Allstone, Staffordshire, England. Married Joseph Kidd in 1845 had 6 children
Ann, Eliza, John, Marth, Sarah and Selina. Joesph died in 1857 age 36 at Longnor,
Staffordshire. Married William Critchlow in 1860 at church/reg office Leek,
Staffordshire St Edwards church. Gave birth to Annie Crichlow on 17 March 1865.
Great-Great-Great-Great grandfather William Crichlow Born at 1823 in Ipstones,
Staffordshire, England. Married a widow, Hannah Kidd who had 6 children in 1860.
Great-Great-Great Grandmother Annie Crichlow was born in Butterton, Staffordshire,
England about 1865, and arrived in Canada 10 July 1891 on SS Numidian at Montreal.
She married William Manns in Edrens, Manitoba.
Great-Great Grand mother , Lizzy Crichlow (nee Manns) born at Winona, Manitoba on 8
September 1885, died 20 August 1967 had 6 children, Edna, Eleanor, Lily, twins Bill and
Eva, and Albert.
Great-Great grandfather, Edwin Sutton Wright Crichlow was born in September 3 1886
Staffordshire England. He arrived SS Numidian at Montreal 10 July 1891, Destination
McGregor Manitoba. Age 4, arrived with his mother Annie Crichlow. Father unknown.
Married Lizzy Manns in 1914.
Sheila’s Parents
Mother Margaret Bernier (nee Weir) born 27 November 1925, Inverness, Scotland
arrived Pier 21, Halifax NS, on SS Aquatania (war Bride) in August 1946. Destination
Blind River, Ontario. (My Great Grandmother.)
Father Lawerance Joesph Bernier born 27 August 1924, Byng inlet, Ontario (My great
Grandfather)
Walters Parents
Mother Eva Hazel Short (nee Crichlow) born 25 January 1924 with twin brother Bill (my
grand mother)
Father William Short born 31 December 1920, Decker< Manitoba. Mother Margaret
Finlinson Father unknown, adopted by Walter Short (My great grandfather)
Sheila Mary Theresa Bernier (Grandmother)
Born: Blind River, Ontario 18 September 1947. Lived in Scotland 1952 to 1947. Moved
to Hamilton, Ontario at age 6. Moved to North Bay, Ontario at age 11. Joined royal
Canadian Navy in January 1967 (radio operator). Lived on Cornwallis until May 1967.
Lived in Esquimalt until November 1967. Married Walter Edwin short 25 November
1967 at North Bay, Ontario. Had 4 Children Brenda, Catharine, David and Nathan. Sheila
and Walter are retired and living at Lawerancetown, NS.
Walter Edwin Short (Grandfather) Born: Winnipeg, Manitoba 21 January 1947. Spent
first year of his life in Souris Manitoba. Lived in Winnipeg Manitoba until he was 18,
Joined Royal Canadian Navy4 March 1965 (radio operator) retired 19 November 1997.
Lived in Esquimalt B.C 1966-1967. Married, Sheila Mary Theresa Bernier 25 November
1967 at North Bay, Ontario. Lived in Hubbard’s NS, June 1967 to 1970. Lived in
Dartmouth NS, June 1970 to June 1977. Lived in Forest Hills NS, June 1977 to
December 1999. Lived in Lawrence town NS, December 1999 to present.
Cameron Mackenzie Short (me) I was born November 10 1998. My Parents are Tara
Joscelyne Short (nee Barnes) and Nathan Daniel Short. My sister Olivia Jamie Short was
born August 20 2004. Also in 2004 I started school at O’Connell Drive Elementary
School. I stayed there until grade six (2011). When I was in grade four (2009) I started
completive rope skipping with Jump Energy. With the rope skipping team I traveled
every year for the national competition and in 2009 I went to B.C. Then in 2010, I went
to Ontario .In 2011 I went to Alberta. In 2012 I went to New Brunswick and then to the
international competition I went to Florida. I also went to Labrador to teach people how
to jump rope. In 2013 I went to Ontario. This year I will be going to B.C for nationals and
possibly China for the international competition. In 2012, I started junior high at Gatez
Brook Junior High.
The history of my community
The early European settlers in Porters Lake relied on the lake and the costal waters for
transportation. The Indians called Porters Lake Amagunchech “the little breezy place”.
On December 13, 1784, there was 1650 acres of land given to seven men. William Porter
had the most acres so it was named after him. He got 1000 acres. Along with Tomas
Bales, Simon Anderson, Patrick Elinton, Joshua wanton Jr, all had100 acres. John Black
had 50 acres and Joshua Wanton 200 acres. William Porter was born in 1758 and he died
in 1793.William Porter had three sons named John Porter, James Porter, and William
Porter. William Porter was married to Nancy. The first building in Porters Lake was a
sawmill at the end of the lake. The sawmill that was built was the main source of income
as Porters Lake’s main industry was forestry along with fishing. Porters Lakes population
in 1956 was 316.Over the past 60 years the population has gone from316 to 3217. Over
the last 230 years, Porters Lake has grown in not just population but size. The original
grant was 1650 acres now it is 22628.2 acres
My Community Today
In Porters Lake today, it isn’t as rural as it used to be with the population at 3217. There
are two English elementary schools, O’Connell Drive Elementary and Porters Lake
Elementary and there is a French elementary that is gaining grades and students Eole des
Baux –Marais. In my community there are lots of places that you can play sports and do
activities. In Porters Lake there are two community centers. The newest built community
center is attached to Porters Lake elementary. In that community center there is a dance
studio and a gym that is shared between the community center and the school. Also, there
are a few empty rooms that you can do anything in. In Porters Lake there are also three
soccer fields, there is one baseball diamond, two basketball courts and the indoor
gymnasium at the community center. There is the Crow Bar Hiking Trail and Porters
Lake Provincial Park. Just this year in Porters Lake there is a metro bus station. There
were metro busses that came around Porters Lake but not very often now there are
regular busses. The busses are smaller than the ones in town and are called metro x
instead of just saying metro. They come more often and people can leave their cars there
in the morning and take the bus to work, than get the bus back after and drive home. In
Porters Lake there is a new development going in called Seven Lakes. There is going to
be 634 houses and it will cost $160 million.