Thomas WARK

From "Tread of the Pioneers" by J. H. Metcalf 1932

"Thomas Wark, born June 2nd, 1842, in Ireland, moved out to Ontario, and from the county of Grey, in that province, migrated to Manitoba in 1872, arriving in June. Married Ann Hamilton and had four sons and five daughters: William, John D., Richard, and Thomas, Kate, Ester, Elizabeth, M. Ellen, and Dorcas. Twenty-three grandsons and twenty granddaughters, divided among Sherritts, Scrases, Littles, Folsters, Warks, and Owens will certainly carry on the family tradition for many years. Date of arrival in Manitoba, as stated above, will be sufficient evidence of the usual amount of pioneer hardship endured by this family in the early days of settlement. 

They traveled by ox-team from St. Paul to .  There were about twenty Ox teams in the party, and on the way the measles broke out among the company. The disease went through the whole caravan and everybody pulled through.  There were no Doctors in the outfit, but plenty of whiskey, and whiskey was cheap, and very effective, for they all got better.

The family settled on the land of High Bluff, now owned by M. H. Owens, and the records state that they scraped a very bare living until the advent of the Canadian Pacific railway relieving them of the long haul to with Buck and Bright which took at least five days with good road conditions.  Thomas Wark died May 1st, 1911."