Wawanesa: A Prairie Heritage - The Criddles and Vane Families

The Criddle family was large and quite unique. Percy and Alice had eight children together, four of whom were born in Manitoba. Percy also had five children with Elise prior to his marriage. Percy proposed to Alice after he returned from Germany with Elise and the children, and Alice was not aware of the existence of this other family until after she was married. The discovery came as quite a shock.

This sort of family arrangement was strange, to say the least. In Victorian England, Percy was able to be very discrete about his double relationship, keeping the two families in separate houses. In Manitoba it was different.

In England the families had lived in separate houses and Percy would travel back and forth between the two. In Manitoba the families were forced to live in the same house for several years, and to cooperate while managing the farm. Without the help of "the boy", Edwy Vane, who did much of the farm work, Percy surely would have been lost.

The Criddles and the Vanes

The children of both families got along quite well; they played together and worked on the farm together. Throughout their early lives the children were not aware that they were half brothers and sisters. This fact was revealed to the children when the possibility of a romance arose between two of the children.

After several years of uncomfortable living conditions, Elise applied for a homestead on the edge of the Criddle estate. She lived here in a tiny house with her children for the rest of her days. Though she was not treated well by Percy, the children of both families were quite affectionate towards her.

Percy was avid music lover and composer. He wrote operas, funeral marches, and songs. Though he never attained more than local renown, his family thought that none was his equal.

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The Criddle family was large and quite unique. Percy and Alice had eight children together, four of whom were born in Manitoba. Percy also had five children with Elise prior to his marriage. Percy proposed to Alice after he returned from Germany with Elise and the children, and Alice was not aware of the existence of this other family until after she was married. The discovery came as quite a shock.




This sort of family arrangement was strange, to say the least. In Victorian England, Percy was able to be very discrete about his double relationship, keeping the two families in separate houses. In Manitoba it was different.



In England the families had lived in separate houses and Percy would travel back and forth between the two. In Manitoba the families were forced to live in the same house for several years, and to cooperate while managing the farm. Without the help of "the boy", Edwy Vane, who did much of the farm work, Percy surely would have been lost.

		The Criddles and the Vanes

			The children of both families got along quite well; they played together and worked on the farm together. Throughout their early lives the children were not aware that they were half brothers and sisters. This fact was revealed to the children when the possibility of a romance arose between two of the children.
			After several years of uncomfortable living conditions, Elise applied for a homestead on the edge of the Criddle estate. She lived here in a tiny house with her children for the rest of her days. Though she was not treated well by Percy, the children of both families were quite affectionate towards her.
Percy was avid music lover and composer. He wrote operas, funeral marches, and songs. Though he never attained more than local renown, his family thought that none was his equal.

	The History \| Picture Gallery \| People \| Mutual Insurance \| The Community Neighbouring Communities \| The Museum \| About Us \| Home