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BIRTH: 1871 (St. Anicet, Quebec) | ||
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John Ferinand Genier was born near St. Anicet, Quebec, in 1871. He came to BC in 1890 by train as far as Sicamous. From there he had a long walk to Vernon where he managed to secure a job. He worked at a BX Ranch, his task was to break horses. By word of mouth he heard there was a good farm for sale in White Valley, he liked it a lot and decided to buy it. The previous owner of the farm was Charlie Levasseur. John sent for his wife and daughter after he had a deicent house built. Mrs. Genier was born in 1880 at St. Ancient. Their daughter, Malvina, was born in Quebec. John and his wife had five more children in Lumby: John Wilfred, December 30th, 1897; Marianne Elizabeth (Bettie) August 19th, 1899; Florence Nora, September 30th, 1901; John Eugene, September 11th, 1905; and Joseph Earl, July 23rd, 1906. Their first son, John, died in infancy. In April of 1907, John preempted one hundred and fifty acres adjoining his farm (Lot 4272). Besides farm for a living, John ran the mail from Lumby to Vernon for forty-eight years. At first it was by democrat in summer and slaigh in winter. He'd set off to Vernon in the mornings, and returned to Lumby in the evenings. At one time, John carried freight as well. After the Northern Crown Bank closed its doors, John did the banking in Vernon for Shields and Company. He brought the first truck into Lumby, a 1911 Ford A&T. The next vehicles were a Baby Grand Chev, a McLaughlin-Buick, and then a studabaker. All these vehicles were purchased in Vernon and traded every year. When war started in 1914, all the young men went off to fight, this left the farmers hard pressed for harvesting labor. John did a lot of custom haying and harvesting, which meant having a lot of men available for help. He made a deal with the army camp in Vernon; fifteen people were allowed to go to the farm during haying season. John had the only baler in the area, a seven-man operation. John was remembered by his son as being a jolly and comical man he sure did law lay down the law at home. When you were given a job to do, it was to be done right, and right now! As his sons reachead adulthood, John decided that he should have two farms, so that there would be one for each boy. In 1929, he bought what was known as the Leger farm loan board. They moved onto the new farm and there raised hogs and dairy cattle. Unfortunately, Delphine passed away in 1938. John took ill in 1942, just after his marriage to Fanny Finlaison, the widow of Fred Finlaison, a pioneer homesteader on Shuswap Avenue. John Genier passed away eighteen months later in 1943. This family really played a major role in the initial development of the community.
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