Civilization.ca - Christian Bennedsen - Scrapbook of a Life in Letters

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Settlement

Life on the Farm

The Rutherford farm was 250 acres [101 hectares] of which 50 [20 hectares] were forested; the remainder supported dairy cattle, hay, and crops like corn and tomatoes. Today, there is no trace of the farm: The land was expropriated in the mid-1950s to make way for Highway 401.

"The newborn Canadian": Chris on the job at Mackenzie Rutherford's farm, Colborne, Ontario, Winter 1952.
(Private Collection)

By late 1952, Chris was no longer an apprehensive young man, unsure of his path in life-he was quite comfortable speaking English now-and had proven that he could work hard and take care of himself. He was ready to try something new.

Life on the Farm

I will try to get work in a factory or something in that direction and then see how it goes. I wish I had something sure that I wanted to do. And it's not running around and enjoying life. I still haven't got any serious thought in my head what I want to do, if I want to be a farmer or what other things, I don't know. I very seldom think about the future but maybe someday it will come. I am very happy that I came over here to see other things.

Chris Bennedsen to Anna Bennedsen, October 7, 1952.
(CMC, Christian Bennedsen Collection, Correspondence series, Box P-29, 11th group, translated from Danish by Chris Bennedsen)

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