Читать книгу The Canadian Kings of Repertoire - Michael V. Taylor - Страница 9

CHAPTER 2 ESTABLISHING ROOTS IN LANARK COUNTY

In order to more fully appreciate the phenomenal success attained by the Marks Brothers, it is necessary to describe in some detail their humble beginnings, commencing with a brief history of their ancestry and rural upbringing in Lanark County.

Prior to the first invasion of the Lanark County forests by Europeans, the area was inhabited by nomadic Indian tribes. The region was noted for the bloody, hostile encounters between the warring Iroquois du Nord and the Iroquois du Sud. But with the British occupation of the country came a change of affairs. The vast hinterland was thrown open to settlement, and an invading army of immigrants subsequently marched through the verdant woodlands of Upper Canada, armed with the implements of agriculture, having, through necessity, turned their “swords into ploughshares.” The United Empire Loyalists from the recently established United States formed the vanguard.

These first pioneers settled along the entire southern frontier of Upper Canada, and their success in establishing a viable existence kindled the zeal of the British government to found other settlements in this, her largest colony. In the year 1815, a proclamation was issued in England, offering free passage and tracts of land to such natives of Britain who might be desirous of proceeding to Canada for the purpose of settling. As a further inducement to potential settlers, this offer was supplemented by free provisions not only during the voyage, but also upon their arrival in the colony and until such time as the land, which was given free to each male immigrant over legal age, could be made to support them. When the first party of settlers arrived in Canada in the autumn of 1815, they found, much to their dismay, that no preparations had been made for their reception by the colonial authorities; thus compelling them to remain in temporary quarters at Brockville until the following summer.

In the fall of 1816, a party of these early settlers, looking toward the early subjugation of the forest, felled a giant elm tree at the site of the present town of Perth. In June of the same year, the “military colony of Perth,” which was comprised mainly of British Regulars whose terms of service had expired while in Canada, and who more recently had been members of regiments engaged in the War of 1812, arrived in the vicinity, and were assigned to the surrounding townships of Bathurst and Drummond. Alexander Gourley, the eminent historian who visited the settlement in 1817, gave the following account after noting that nearly one thousand of these soldiers had settled in the area:

“Some of them are doing well, but many were unpromising settlers, and did indeed only remain until the term of receiving rations expired, or they acquired the right to sell the land given them…At the first settlement of Upper Canada it was not uncommon for soldiers to sell their two hundred acre lots of land for a bottle of rum.”¹

In 1820, the County of Lanark received considerable accessions to her population in the form of the “Lesmahago” and “Transatlantic” Societies of Scottish immigrants, who settled in Dalhousie township; and within a very few years, with the exception of the northern extremities of the county, settlement became quite general.

This pioneer strain was the stock from which the Marks brothers evolved. Although the Marks family has its roots deeply entrenched in Ireland, the name is English in origin, so it is probable the patriarch of the clan was already firmly established in the country when Elizabeth I, ascended to the throne of England. Following the subjugation of Ireland by Oliver Cromwell in 1652, several male members of the Marks family who had fought with Cromwell’s “round heads” were rewarded with tracts of land for services rendered.

Robert Marks, the 19th century family patriarch, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, about 1800. Very little is known about this gentleman, other than that he married a woman named Sarah, circa 1824; and while still residing in the “old country” he became the father of at least one child, Matthew. Between the years 1825 and 1832, they emigrated to Canada and raised an additional ten children.

Unfortunately, no documented evidence remains indicating why Robert Marks left the land of his birth to take up residence in the Canadian wilderness. However, it would be safe to assume that a desire to create a better life for his family was the prime motivating factor. The exact date of their arrival in Lanark County also remains a mystery, lost in the annals of history. But there are several references to the surname Marks in the Bathurst Courier, a local newspaper of the day, the first mention was in 1836, evidence that the family had resided in the area for some time.

In later years, Ernie, the youngest member of the Marks Brothers theatrical troupe, would record for posterity a brief, yet personal glimpse into the early lives of his grandfather, Robert Marks, and father Thomas Marks. “My father’s father,” he wrote, “came from Ireland with his wife, but I do not remember him since he was dead at the time I was born. My father grew up where the present farm of Dan Brennan is located.” [Concession 5, Lot 2, Bathurst township]

“It seems that my grandfather in his later life married for the second time. There were two elderly ladies living in a log cabin not far from the homestead and my grandfather married one of these and moved in with them. His family were against it, but grandfather is reported to have said, ‘It is a poor rooster that can’t scratch for two hens.’

“This marriage did not work and grandfather came back to live with his son Bob, after three weeks. I understand that the old ladies beat up on him. His son, Bob, carried on in the old homestead and grandfather lived with him until his death.”²

Robert Marks Sr., according to the personal and agricultural census of 1851-52, was evidently a prosperous farmer, having at that time accumulated 200 acres of land, of which 100 acres were under cultivation. When the next public census was taken in 1861, there was no mention of Robert Marks, leaving one to suspect that he had since left the area or had passed away.

Thomas Marks Sr., father of the celebrated seven brothers, was a second son, born in 1833 on the Bathurst township homestead. Facts surrounding his formative years are sketchy, but we do know he spent the better part of his life tilling the soil and was instrumental in turning Christie Lake into a viable recreation area that had few equals in the Ottawa Valley. The year 1853 held great promise for this resourceful twenty-year- old. It would still be another year before he legally “came of age”; but already he had taken a bride and purchased a farm on the third concession of South Sherbrooke township, which included extensive water frontage on Christie Lake. In conjunction with this initial purchase he acquired another tract of land some three miles distant, on which he cleared one hundred acres and constructed a substantial residence. During the next seventy years the Marks family would acquire well over seven hundred acres of the finest recreational property bordering Christie Lake, and this land would eventually constitute the bulk of the Marks’ real estate investments.

Within a few short years, Thomas Marks and family fell victim to the ravages of fire – a scourge which plagued many communities during the early days of settlement. His home, in addition to out-buildings, was consumed in a rampant inferno that originated in a local tannery. Assisted by prevailing winds, it blazed a path of destruction through the width and breadth of South Sherbrooke and surrounding townships, causing extensive damage to both property and livestock. While compiling his brief, but intimate history of the Marks family, Ernie commented on this tragic event:

“After his marriage he went to live in the ‘upper place’ where he built a log cabin. It was a very poor location, located in the wilderness and was poor farm land. Some of my brothers were born there. This cabin was burned down in a huge fire that swept the district and when the government representative called the burned-out people to Perth to award them money to start up again, my father declared that all he needed was strength. The government man said that his name would be recorded in Ottawa as the most honest man in Lanark County.

“When he came to Christie Lake after the fire he built another log cabin near where the present Inn (Arliedale) is located, but a few yards to the east. I was not born in this cabin, but in the more imposing house that was later built, but I remember the cabin as a boy and recall that it had a dirt floor and a huge fireplace.”³

Ernie also recorded the unusual and somewhat poetic circumstances surrounding the chance meeting between his father and the woman who would eventually become his bride, the charming Margaret Farrell:

“One day he (Thomas) was out with his father when he saw a girl picking her way across a meadow covered with dew. She was picking up her skirts gracefully and father remarked that he was going to make her his wife. That girl turned out to be my mother.”⁴

There is no doubt this meeting with the future Mrs. Marks and the conversation carried on between Thomas and the government agent, as reported by Ernie, have about them an air of the dramatic, but considering the very nature of Ernie’s chosen profession this is hardly surprising. Yet one cannot discount the possibility that these incidents took place as chronicled.

In those less complicated, but socially structured days of the last century, the sweet and often bittersweet ritual of courting was a family, and more often than not, a public event. In all probability Thomas and Margaret renewed their first fleeting acquaintance at one of the many construction bees that were common at that time in Lanark County. Or perhaps they met and exchanged a few cordial words on the steps or lawn in front of the local church, prior to being formally introduced at an organized picnic or social. Notwithstanding, on November 19, 1853, Thomas Marks and Margaret Farrell became man and wife.

Margaret’s parents, Thomas and Eleanor Farrell, came to Perth probably about the same time as Robert Marks Sr., with a contingent of British Army Regulars who had been given tracts of land in the district after completing active service in India. This body of veterans consisted mainly of Scots, Irish, and English “warrior-farmers.” According to army tradition of the day the higher the rank, the closer one’s land was to the fledgling settlement of Perth. It would appear, however, the Farrells were stationed at the lower end of the chain of command for their land allotment was located some twelve miles west of Perth, near the present village of Maberly.

Tom Farrell originally hailed from Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. Both he and his older brother John had seen more than their share of service on the battlefields of India and, although Thomas had decided on starting anew in Canada, John remained in Ireland where he had been deeded the family property. So Thomas, along with several of his brothers made their way to “distant shores,” taking with them a considerable amount of money, indicating that, in the “old country,” they must have been a family of substance.

Margaret Farrell, born in County Mayo, Ireland, a naturally gifted singer with a flair for fun, had eight brothers and sisters. With the exception of one brother, John Jr., who went to the diamond mines of South Africa, where he made and subsequently lost a fortune, all her family remained in Eastern Ontario, although some moved on to Western Canada in later years. Margaret also had the distinction of being first cousin to Lord Mount Stephen, a pioneer businessman and first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Thomas Marks like many rural inhabitants of his generation, received very little formal education. “My father could not write and mother had to teach him to sign his name,” recalled Ernie, “but he was a splendid reader and he read the paper to us without a mistake.”⁵

Thomas Marks, born 1833, and Margaret Farrell, parents of the seven Marks brothers, farmed at Christie Lake. Thomas Sr. was revered as a master storyteller and regarded as the strongest man in this part of Lanark County. His wife, Margaret was referred to as a “gifted” Irish lady. Their popularity may have influenced their sons in their choice of theatrical careers. Perth Museum Collection

The elder Marks also had ambitions unrelated to the agricultural profession. It appears he was a man of moderation in all things. “My father’s ambition,” noted Ernie, “was to be a commander of men or a general in the army. At the various bees he was a leader and organizer. Since he never drank very much he was usually in charge of the responsible jobs like putting on the corners of the barns. He also acted as peace-maker at the fights that arose.”⁶

Thomas Marks was held in high esteem by the residents of South Sherbrooke township, so much so, that when he ran for public office in the late 1860s, seeking a term as councillor, he polled the largest majority of votes ever recorded in the municipality. It would be nearly twenty years before he voluntarily relinquished the position. Throughout his life Thomas Marks remained conservative in his political convictions and was guided by his belief in the doctrines expounded by the Church of England.

Existing photographs, posters and playbills of the Marks Brothers depict them as handsome and robust individuals, who, with the exception of Tom and Ernie all sported luxurious handlebar mustaches. R.W. in describing Alex’s visage and demeanour paid him the ultimate compliment, “Alex was the living image of Lionel Barrymore.”⁷

History and personal recollections record that the brothers inherited their good looks, size, and complexion from their father; who stood well over six feet in height. He is also credited with bestowing upon them more than a liberal amount of his natural histrionic abilities.

Thomas Marks, by all accounts, was an excellent raconteur, and his fame as a storyteller was known throughout the township. On any given Sunday it was the rule, rather than the exception, to have at least a dozen neighbours appear on the doorstep waiting to hear him read aloud the latest edition of the Weekly Star or Family Herald. During the spring and summer months this attentive audience would sit on the verandah, while Thomas, nestled in a rocking chair, would recount the latest poultry-fattening methods or regale them with the latest fiction and current events. In the winter or inclement weather, the proceedings would move indoors where the congregation would sit at the kitchen table or cluster around the wood stove waiting anxiously to hear the next sentence. “I remember, when I was a youngster,” Tom Marks recalled in later years, “seeing as many as thirty horses tied in front of the house on Sunday. People would come from far and near to listen to my father. Most of them stayed all day and, though it never entered my head at the time, I’ve often wondered since, how we managed to feed them all.”⁸

Thomas Marks’ rare and unique sense of humour and reading ability resulted in numerous and enthusiastic neighbours camping on his threshold, all ready and willing to take advantage of his fine Irish hospitality. Had he not been as good a farmer as he was a storyteller, it is conceivable that his visitors would have eaten him out of house and home.

An article in the Perth Courier, August 2, 1951, refers to Margaret Farrell as “…this great Irish lady [who] brought into their Lanark County home, the soul of Ireland, its music and its laughter, its tenderness and its dreams. The family grew up under that inspiration. They did not have to seek elsewhere for entertainment.” Rather, the Marks’ home, presided over by Thomas and Margaret, became famous for hospitality and memories of song and family affection. When R.W. was considering his future following the auspicious meeting with King Kennedy in 1876, he undoubtedly knew there was a wealth of unexplained talent under one roof — his family

Even as grown men, the brothers accorded their father more than ample respect, especially when he was called upon to act as an adjudicator in settling family disputes or arguments; for his word was still law at Christie Lake. As noted earlier Thomas rarely drank alcoholic spirits, but such was not the case with the remaining male family members. Their excessive drinking habits were common knowledge and, in certain instances, well-publized events. Such was probably the case one summer’s afternoon when the normally sophisticated and sedate game of croquet suddenly erupted in mayhem. As the game progressed, we are told, tempers flared and voices were raised well above the level allowed within hearing distance of the elder Marks. Raucous behaviour was not, and would not, be tolerated in his presence. But unbeknown to the “combatants,” Thomas Sr. was watching the proceedings from the doorway of a nearby woodshed. When it became apparent that matters were deteriorating, he quietly stepped into the fray and, without a single word being uttered, peace was immediately restored.

Thomas Sr. could never afford the luxury of a formal education and he was determined that his offspring should not suffer a similar fate. Thus he insisted they attend the one-room schoolhouse (White’s School) that was located a short distance from the homestead. This institution was “the rock upon which all knowledge was founded” for many rural inhabitants, and such was its contribution to the educational system that only within the last two decades or so did it pass into oblivion. The standard of education in a one-room schoolhouse, was the cornerstone upon which the Marks brothers created an empire.

The Marks family posing for a photograph at the homestead in July 1895. John Jay had just recently returned from Alaska and Ernie was preparing to enter Perth Collegiate. From left to right: Alex, Tom, Olivia Mariah (Libby), Thomas Sr., Robert W., Margaret Farrell, Ellen Jane (Nellie), John, Joe, Ernie and McIntyre. Perth Museum Collection.

Following considerable success in the United States, Robert William and his troupe returned to Canada, initially establishing themselves in Renfrew, Ontario. Later, Christie Lake became their headquarters. Perth Museum Collection.