as written by Mabel Samis Dingwall Puddy.
"John and Ellen Samis (nee Hearn) set up housekeeping just east of Cobourg on Highway 2, just west of Kingston Crossing September 8, 1909. Percy was born there and Grandma Hearn came to care for her little grandson. She was a midwife and people came for miles around to have her deliver their children. Slim had been living with his Grandma Palmateer at Norham and he came home to live with his father. In October 1911 John and Ellen took the train to northern Ontario. He worked for Charlie Newton and Harry Walsh that first winter, cutting trees and slashing on skis. Grandpa and Grandma Hearn (William Albert Hearn and Ellen Earl) arrived in the north by train on April 22, 1914, in time to deliver my sister Pearl Samis Tripp. They first lived across from Uncle Tom Newton's home in a house owned by Frank Armstrong. Later years they lived in the Wilson house near Pacey's. Not far from Brookside on 4th Concession of Kerns.
Grandpa Hearn died at the age of 58 in September 1919. He had been driving the team all day, came into the house and laid down on the floor with his coat under his head. This is how Grandma found him. Grandma died two years later, also at 58 years. They are buried in the Catholic Cemetery at Haileybury. Deenie (William John McCarty--grandma's son by her first marriage) and George, Bill and Dick (Richard) Hearn all came North around the same time as their parents. My brother Slim and his Uncle Dick were like brothers. George and Dick married two sisters, Effie and Eva Hayes of Charlton. George married the younger Effie and Dick's Eva was a year older. They settled in Harley Twp. 4th Concession.
George worked in Kirkland Lake in the Lakeshore Mines and although he had no education, he ran the delivery and pickup service very efficiently. He did have a very keen mind and wonderful memory. When he came back to the farm at retirement, they built a new house next to the homestead. Dick and Eva were burned out by the Great Fire of 1922 and later by chimney fire. They later went to Kirkland Lake in 1935 to the gold mines. In 1928 they came to Cobourg, and settled in Napanee, then back to Cobourg.
Eva died at the very young age of 44 years and Dick one year later at the same age. This left seven children alone. Uncle George and Aunt Effie became their second parents.
Deenie McCarty and Mary McClaren of Grafton were married in Cobourg before they went to the north land. They, too, had lean hears with seven children to feed and clothe, even though they were both hard workers. Deenie died in 1937. Mary cooked at the experimental farm and brought up the children. She remarried Mr. Thomas Walsh about 1950.
Bill Hearn married Rose Baker of Napanee after he returned home from WWI. He enlisted under age and was sent to France in a few weeks. He came home with snow white hair. They took up land north of Uno Park. Like all the others they saw lots of hard times. They had 14 children and it takes a lot of food and clothing for so many. They were burned out by chimney fire around April 1940 and spent a terrible year in real want. They built a new house on the same spot and lived the remainder of their lives there.
John and Ellen Samis took up their land in Kerns and Henwood Townships in 1911. They lived in a log house. Every year they cleared a little more land, and finally built a new house. In 1922 they had good crops and it looked like things were getting better. In October they lost everything in the forest fire. That winter they were often cold and hungry. They rebuilt west of the Rock and lived there till 1926 when they moved to New Liskeard and John drove the mail route for two years. They moved back to Cobourg in 1928 where they spent the remaining years of their lives.
All of us can be very proud of our pioneering parentage. We can take a pattern for our own lives form this resourceful and hard working family.