Ed & Loretta - Newly-Weds and Beyond

Ed & Loretta's first winter as man and wife (1948 - 1949) was notable for the temperature and amount of snow. The average temp. that winter was five
degrees. Snowfall was one of the highest on record.

Their honeymoon was spent as caretakers for Harry & Jean Nelson who went
to California for the winter. Mom & Dad took care of the Nelson's cattle until
Harry and Jean returned in the spring. Nelson's farm was located between the
Malo farm (where Marie & Uncle CJ Roberge lived) and Grabers. It was about
4 miles east of the Louis Roberge farm. Yours truly was conceived there that winter. These three pictures of Dad were taken by Mom on the Nelson farm.

When the Nelson's returned the following spring, Ed and Loretta moved in with Grandpa Louis & Grandma Anne. Virginia & Casimir were still on the farm at that
time. Construction began on Ed & Loretta's home in the summer of 1949. In the meantime, my crib at Grandpa Louis' was a dresser drawer. In February of 1950,
we all moved into our new home. There Raymond was immediately conceived. Construction began on Ed's barn the summer of 1950. Guy Slough was the head carpenter for both the house and barn with Ed and his brother, Casimir, assisting.

You may have noticed that the coupe has been traded for a less-sporty 2-door family sedan. There's Mom standing in front of their new house. Grandpa Louis' farm can be seen across the field to the north. During this time, Dad was cash-renting farm land from neighbors to the NE - Lawrence LaFrance and Pete Lemieux in the Maryville Township area. Grandpa Louis helped with seeding and combining. The only other source of income for Ed and Loretta for quite awhile was selling cream from the few milk cows they had.