About John A.

The Older the Fiddler the Sweeter the Tune

The Biography of John A. Meagher

Based and written upon an interview conducted with John A. by: Dylan Beaton & Melanie Meagher (Granddaughter and her boyfriend)

On February 19, 1928, Lauchlin “Lauchie” Meagher (from Brook
Village) and Catherine (MacLellan) Meagher (from Centreville) gave birth to their
eighth child John Angus Meagher “John A.”. Lauchie was a coal miner and most of
his life was spent working in either Inverness or New Waterford. Meanwhile
Catherine saw to the house, children and farm.

John A. has 9 siblings, (7 brothers and 2 sisters). Being the second youngest
John A. can recall the activities of his older siblings three of which went off to war.
John A. can also recall the death of his oldest brother James. James was a very
good fiddle player and one night during a break in his performance, James stepped
off an unfinished balcony and the fall led to his death.

John A.’s Family is a very musical one. In fact even while I was interviewing John A. he was listening to the
ceilidh on the radio. John A. plays the fiddle, however he also has a very good
voice and he will sing many old tunes especially when he is out driving around.

John A. attended a one room school house in which many grades were being
taught simultaneously. John A. fondly recalls his favorite times at school, which
occurred during his lunch breaks. Lunch breaks were mainly spent playing ball,
horseshoes and fishing. In fact, one day during lunch John A., and his pals were
down in the brook beside the school house when John A. spotted and caught a trout.
He wrapped the trout up in brown paper and hid it in his desk until the time came to
go home. He sounded pretty proud of catching the fish and not getting caught by the
teacher. I asked John A. how many teachers he had during school and he said they
had a new teacher come to the school house every year. John A. said that in such a small
village it was hard to keep the same teacher year after year.

John A. attended school until grade nine which was the same year his father
died. John A. vividly recalls his father walking into Christmas Eve mass and taking
a stroke. At that time it was to dangerous to transport his father to a hospital or even
home, so Lauchie stayed in the Glebe house until his death New Year’s Eve. When
John A. finished school in grade nine he stayed home and looked after the farm,
taking on many of his father’s chores.

Today John A. has been going through some health problems and his
memory is sometimes foggy. However, when interviewed his most vivid
recollections were of his working days. John A.’s first job was farming and he
proudly boasts that he has made hay on every farm from Brook Village to Lake
Ainslie. He can even tell you at which place he got the best lunches. Farming was
always a part of John A.’s life up until the point where he physically couldn’t
perform all the tasks demanded of such a life’s work. Although John A., can explain
every chore he has done in great detail. There were many times when John A. left
home and went off to work. He told me of a time when he went off to Wreck Cove
to build water tunnels, there he said the job was dangerous but the pay was well. He
also told me that he worked with a cement company and together they constructed
the sidewalks, curbs and gutters for all of Port Hawkesbury and Guysborough.
However, John A. said that when times were tough and he didn’t have a job he cut
pulp and hauled the pulp to the Mill in Port Hawkesbury.

John A, starting working for the Department of Highways. Soon
there after, he applied and received the position of foreman. This is where he stayed
until his retirement in 1992. I personally have noticed deterioration in the condition
of the roads since John A.’s retirement.

In October 20, 1956 when John A. was 28 years old he married his wife
Mary Isabell Campbell from just down the road. John A. and Mary knew each other
most of their lives. Between the years of 1958 and 1972 together John A. and Mary
had 8 children Bernie, Gary, Donna, Blaise, Greg, Bruce, Paul and Jamie.

When asked about important events in his life John A. told me these stories.
In 1962 when Mary was 9 months pregnant with her fifth child their barn burnt. A
lot of damage was done John A. lost all of his pigs and chickens however they
managed to save their cows. John A. was after putting a brand new hay conveyor in
and that was demolished. One week later their fifth child Greg arrived. John A had
said that out of all of the hardships he and Mary faced the hardest was losing the
barn because with the barn they lost their source of income.

John also recalls working up the road making hay when a storm started to
rise. He proceeded home and at the time Mary’s brother Donald was visiting from
Boston and 7 of John A’s children were home. That evening Mary was frightened
and called everybody into the living room to say the rosary when a three-pronged
bolt of lightening struck the house. John A. said that the house went up in flames in
a matter of minutes and there was no time to save anything but themselves. Luckily
enough everyone escaped the fire unharmed. The neighbors and people from
surrounding areas were extremely helpful. Van Zupthen’s donated a trailer for John
A. and Mary to stay in while a new house was being built. So John A, Mary and the
4 youngest children stayed in the trailer while the older children stayed at their
grandmothers (up the road) where there was no electricity or running water. The
house was rebuilt and in 1981 and the family moved in.

In May of 1987 John A. Mary faced yet another tragedy when their oldest
son (first child) Bernie was killed in a car accident. Bernie left behind two children
and a wife. When asked what got them through those years John A. credits his
faith.

When I asked John A what is presently the most important to him, John A
said that since his wife Mary’s death in June of 2002, family and faith are his most
important possessions. John A. takes great enjoyment out of his 7 living children
and 8 grandchildren, who visit him frequently.

When asked if the world has changed for the better or worse within his
lifetime John A. responded by saying that he does not figure it has changed for the
better. People are no longer as willing to help other people, and families seem not to
be as important to each other as they used to be. John A. also commented on the
church and young people and how their presence in church has declined since his
youth.

John A. has always enjoyed a good laugh. When I asked for advice on what
quote I could use to end my report on John A said “Mind your own God Damned business”.
This was said with a good chuckle.