Hermiston Newsletter Volume 2 1998



Now I have a lot of data on our families in the genealogy section. As you will see there are a lot of ? marks throughout the data.

Now it's YOUR turn to help... if you have additional data or you have some answers to some of the ? marks I'd appreciate your help.
Kay and I will be heading west to Edmonton hopefully with a few stop overs in places like the Soo, Winnipeg and Saskatoon to look up some Hermistons.

What a great trip west.... no snow! We stopped in Brookville Fla and visited with Bruce and Joanne Hermiston over a lovely breakfast. Next we stopped in Windsor and got aquainted with Terry Hermiston again at a breakfast meeting. Our next move was to Barrie to stay with son Andrew for a day. Off again to Thessalon where we met with Karen at her lovely motel on the beach. That night we stayed in the Soo and visted with Mary Anne and Ralph Hermiston and captured the data on their families. The next morning we paid a visit to Lorna Hermiston collecting more data. Our next stop was in Grand Rapids Minnesota with Helen Hermiston. After that visit we headed back into Canada to visit Dave Hermiston in Rosetown Saskatchewan. After a stop in North Battleford where my dad had been a druggist in 1913-14 we pulled into our daughter Sandra's home in Edmonton to recover for a while before we head back to Parry Sound with several more visits planned!

I have also received our first piece of information from a Hermiston. Our niece Janis is learning to play the bagpipes so she can pipe us into a family reunion sometime! She wrote a poem about her problems with the "pipes"

Chanter Ode

Try explaining to someone that your mission in life
Is learning to play well the dreaded bagpipe,
A sneer you'll hear and a laugh you'll see,
But only YOU will be filled with glee.


For the pipes, in their glory, can truly inspire,
They can taunt, terrify and easily conspire
To cause harm to the eardrums of people close by,
Ostentatious and powerful, they command a strong rye.


For a stiff drink will aid in drone toleration,
Those squawking reeds and guaranteed condemnations,
"There are merely nine notes to master," I cheered,
The dog slunk from the room, clearly afeared.


It's simple to see why bagpipes were/are banned,
Dangerous decibel readings across many a land,
Yet since October last, I've learned to reckon
With D-throws, grips and birls and teckums.


So in earnest I'll practise 'til one fine Gaelic day,
I'll pipe Scotland the Brave alone, (but not far away),
Bringing joy to listeners with fine musical taste,
And those who loathe bagpipes will depart in haste.


Jan Hermiston, B.A. (Bagpipe Apprentice)