Gent- Dr. Sherman Farm

Gent (Dr. Sherman) Farm, 1 Mile south of Bienfait, date unknown

Gent (Dr. Sherman) Farm, 1 Mile south of Bienfait, Photo taken Nov 1927

All that is left of the farm in 2005

Farm located at NE Section 13, Township 2, Range 7, W2,
1 mile directly south of Bienfait,
on the old road to Roche Percee,
on the old corner of Hwy 39 to Portal, and Highway 18 to Bienfait/Hirsch etc

Buildings- L/R- Barn, Windmill (well), Pig Pen, Pig Sty, Chop House, Chicken Coop (with 3 vents on the roof, and only building still standing in 2017)
Garage (Left side was coal bins, center for car and tractors, right side was a granary, the outhouse was behind this building.
(As we had No Running Water, no Indoor Sewer, or Electric Power ) And the Farm House on the right. Later on Granaries stood on land in the the foreground.
We did have Battery Power, which I thought were housed in the basement of the house, but kind of remember them out in a shed by the house?,
c/w a Small Gas Generator to charge them, and water came from the well under the Windmill.

We also had a water cistern in the basement of the house, This water was used for Washing Clothes, Baths, Etc.
We hauled cream cans from the Bienfait Town Well for our drinking water. Water from the well was used for the animals etc.
Coal from the garage was used for cooking, and Coal in the basement was used for heating.
The water and the coal were hauled to the farm by my Uncle Frank Olson, who lived in Bienfait.
Telephone came later on, and it was an old magneto wall phone. (2 Shorts and a long, Crank type.)
I Lived on this farm from until 1958.
My mother did not have too many happy memories on this farm, as it was tough being a housewife, with children and Borders, with such meager belongings.
Myself on the other hand, wish I was still there. Not a care in the world in those years.

These are the only 2 Pictures known of the complete farm yard courtesy of my Cousin Donna Lyseng, nee Gent
They were found in the belongings of my Aunt Winnie Gent, nee Oliver, who passed away in Edmonton AB.
My brother Wayne painted a picture of the farm from memory many years ago. No actual photos of the whole farm were known to exist until these were found.

The Percy Gent Family, and then my Dad and Mom, rented this farm from a Mr and Mrs. Dr. Sherman,
who lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with their son Fletcher Sherman

L/R- Dr G.R. Sherman; Olive M. Jordan, nee Cook, sister of Ella; Samuel J. Jordan, Husband of Olive; Ella Emeline Sherman nee Cook;
smaller boy unidentified; Fanny Gent nee Davey behind him; then Fletcher L. Sherman, son of Guy Sherman; behind Fletcher, maybe Dorothy Gent?;
in front Percy Gent; behind him unidentified, possibly a farm worker named James Robinson; then on right Marcus Todd, farm worker
(In 1926 these 2 men were farm labourers on the farm. Marcus worked for Percy in the Alameda area before this farm.)

I researched the landlord doctor below:
Dr. Guy Ridley (Reyney?) Sherman was an Optician in Minneapolis, Hennepin, MN, USA
b- Sept 26, 1869 Wayland, Allegan, Michigan, USA
d- Jan 8, 1937, St. Andrews Hospital, Hennepin, MN, USA
lived in Minneapolis for 40 years
He was involved in Harness racing owned a horse named King S. at one time

father- Thomas Sherman, b- abt 1822 in Ireland, d- 1891
mother- Adelia Fortelia Sherman, nee Lowery, b- abt 1834 in Canada west, d- 1888
wife- Ella Emeline Sherman, nee Cook
b- Feb 2, 1870, at Lyons Iowa.
d- July 30, 1960 Hennepin, MN
daughter of William H. Cook and ? Hutson
Married at Grace Episcopal Church, Lyons, Iowa, Oct 30, 1901. {Middle Name shown as Ridley in the marriage register, Reyney in others)
son Fletcher Lowery Sherman,
b- May 21, 1906 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, MN, USA
d- Nov 27, 1932, Hennepin, MN from a heart attack while driving his car in Hennepin MN.
buried in Hillside Cemetery. He was Secretary-Treasurer of the Koze-Kar Co. at time of his death.
His father owned the Koze-Kar baby carriage making business
alt co. names- Kozekar, Cozy Baby Carriage Company
Fletcher would have died shortly after the photo above by the looks of the age of the car etc.
I believe Dr. Sherman was associated with the Hinz Medical Institute, corner Nicollet and Washington
The family lived at 4445 Aldrich Ave. South, in Jan 1923, the family were leaving on a world tour.
If my mom knew this she would have hated the farm even more than she did.
Dr. Sherman's sister was Mrs. Nancy Lindsay, Minneapolis
he also had a brother, Robert L. Sherman, who lived in Chicago.

Ella's sister in photo above-Olive May Cook, b- 1875 in Lyons Iowa, married Samuel J. “Sam” Jordan, May 27, 1920 in Lyons Clinton, Iowa
Samuel J. “Sam” Jordan
b-Dec 16, 1867 in Fenton, Whiteside, Illinois
d- Dec 14, 1938 in Clinton, Clinton, Iowa, age 70
Samuel was an automobile salesman, in 1920, this was his 2nd marriage
1910 he was a manager of a brewing company, in Clinton, first wife Anna B. nee ?

Olive and Ella's father- William H. Cook.
mother- Ann Fletcher

This farm, and my Grandparents, Percy and Fannie Gent, were included in Farley McGill Mowat's Book, “Born Naked”, printed in 1993, Pages 98-101

Many kids from Bienfait, would come out to play on this farm.
Below is a float we had for the Bienfait Cubs
Barn in Background

July 1, 1956

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Also shown in photo above, farm worker, Marcus Charles Todd
b- bet Jan-Mar 1878, in Stonycroft, (West Derby Reg. District), Lancashire, England,
Age 27 in 1906 census, shown immigrating from England 1901
Baptized Apr 11, 1878, Knotty Ash.
d- Mar 11, 1951, Bienfait? Saskatchewan
buried in Bienfait Civic Cemetery
Father- Luke Todd
b- May 25, 1844, in Lancaster, Lancashire, England
d- Feb 22, 1881 at Oak-vale, Old Swan, near Liverpool, England, age 36
School Master Knotty Ash School, when he was married in 1873
Grandfather- Mark Todd, b- Jan 4, 1809, Lancaster, Lancashire, England, Shoemaker
Grandmother- Mary Ann Todd, nee Hesketh, b- Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Great Grandfather- Mark Todd
Great Grandmother- Rebecca Todd, nee Nightingale
Mother- Jane Todd, nee Hardman
b- 1850 in Boltons, Lancashire, England
d- possibly bet Jan-Mar 1907, Bolton Lancashire but just a guess
School Mistress when she was married, and still in 1901 in England, age 50
Daughter of James Hardman
Luke and Jane were married July 3, 1873 in St John the Evangelist, District of Knotty Ash, West Derby, Lancashire, England
Siblings:
Sister Lucy Ann Todd, age 16 in 1891, baptized May 24, 1874, Knotty Ash
Brother- John Henderson Todd, baptized Feb 27, 1876, Knotty Ash.
Brother- John Hardman Todd, age 15 in 1891, he married Violet Barnes in 1906
Sister- Alice Philippa Todd, age 1, in 1881

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Oct 2019 I finally figured out who owned this farm before the Gent's rented it.
Turns out Alfred LaCoste family were living here in 1921 census
In the 1911 census I find more of the family, especially a son, Eugene Joseph “Jimmy” LaCoste of Paul Matoff fame.
My brother swore in the early 50's he seen liquor bottles hidden behind the water cistern in the basement here.
Now I wonder who put them there? Percy and family moved here in March 1922.
Paul Mattoff was killed in Oct 1922.
Mar 26, 1924 Jimmy LaCoste crossed the border to go see Dr. G.R. Sherman, who just happened to own the farm the Gent family rented
Eugene Joseph (James) (Jimmy) LaCoste
b- Feb 1, 1896 in Chénéville Quebec
d- Feb 23, 1929
buried in Estevan City Cemetery
Jimmy enlisted in Estevan July 13, 1918 in WWI- LC- 466124
Regiment Number:3355285
Blond, blue eyed, well liked all around Bienfait
His garage mysteriously burned to the ground one day. I would bet around 1924 when he left to the states.
He was married to a younger lady, but haven't been able to pin her name down yet

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