My Father, Rodney E. Kalloch

     My father, Rodney E. Kalloch was born in Knox County, Warren, Maine on July 30, 1864, and brought up by a family called Robinson.  When he was eight years old his father was lost at sea.  He was one of six children, of William and Hanna J. Smith.  She was born in Cushing (Maine) and reared in North Warren.  She married again and had 2 children by her second marriage.  Father's brother's and sister's were: Charles, Adelia (Annie), (Rodney), Eliza, Alden and William (Willie).
     As a young man, Father, came to Easton, Aroostook County, and bought a farm.  Then two years later sold it and came to Fort Fairfield where he bought the old Everett farm on the Aroostook Falls Road.  At the time he was a bachelor.
     He was a quiet man.  A man of few words, his word was his bond.  When he spoke you listened.
     In 1900 he married Edith Fitzherbert.  They had six children: Alta, Thelma, Cleora, Clifford, Flora, and Helen.
     Father was well read, and it was well known that he had read every book in the Fort Fairfield Library.  Without a doubt there were but few books that escaped him!  He was versed on about any subject one would want to talk on.
     He would sit reading evenings after his work was completed (farmer's worked from sun rise to sunset) as children we would play around him, now and then hitting up against his chair, or book; when he became conscious of our noise or actions he would say to Mother, "Edith! Do you see what these kids are doing?  Can't you stop them?"  Never thinking, I suppose, he could easily correct us himself!
     He held the highest office at the local Pamona Grange and often voiced his opinion at Town Meetings.
     He was a farmer and owned two farms.  One on the American side - Fort Fairfield - and the other on the Canadian side.  Carlingford, New Brunswick.  He sold potatoes on both sides (usually to the highest bidder).
     Father was a hard worker and expected those that worked for him do the same.  He had a low boiling point, but usually his bark was worse than his bite.
     He was generous and often helped those in need.  As he had plenty of acres of woodland he furnished lumber not only for their new home and barn, but also lumber for two other homes, One being a little home for our dear friend, Sarah Russell.
     He had a pair of draft horses he loved.  He called them Prince and Harry.  He also had a pair of mules, Maude and Glide that were the torment of his life, he declared.  Mother said actually he thought a lot of them.  He had an old dog, Carlo, that followed him all around over the farm and barn yard.  We all loved Carlo.
     Father was a good neighbor and always supplied farm equipment to his farm friends on the Aroostook Falls Road.  One implement I recall well, was a grain winnowing machine.  This machine separated the grain from the chaff.
     Father was exceptionally tolerant of the tramps, letting them sleep in the Canadian barn, peddlers, gypsies and wayward Johnny Barley Corn users.  Father never drank himself.  As we lived by the Boundry Line handy to a place that sold liquor, he was always helping out first one then another of the lost souls.  So many times times in cold weather he would find them by the roadside, half frozen.  He would take them home, sober them up and return them to their families - only to do it again in a few days.
     He never learned to drive a car, he preferred his driving horses.
     Driving a car was left up to Mother.
     He was a good gambler - as all farmers have to be to survive - and always seemed to know when to plant, harvest and sell his potatoes at a profit.
     Father grew up farming and turned the business over to Mother just two years before he died on February 10, 1932.  He was only sick one day before he died of diabetes.  As a matter of fact he died 49 years ago today as I am writing this story on February 10, 1981!

Flora K. Peavey