DAVID CLUTCHEY AND CASSIE STEELE

David I son of Joseph Clutchey and Mary Jane Gerow was born Oct.22 1886 on the old Clutchey farm in Brechin, Ontario. Physically he was a small child, but very active and feisty. He and his younger brother Lou were said to have raised some hell when they had one another for protection. David was one of the few members of the family who did not farm for a living. At the age of 18 he was in Toronto working for McDonald and Wilson as an apprentice electrician. This suggests that he must have had a reasonable amount of education in the primary schools in Orillia in order to be accepted as an apprentice. David was a very quiet and unassuming person, not given to discussing his personal thoughts or background. Indeed his two sons were not even aware that he was a catholic until he became ill and the priest was called to give him 'the last rites'. By nature he was a firm but loving father. He left most of the upbringing of the five Clutchey children to his wife Cassie .

Cassie Steele Clutchey and David Clutchey Sr. ( Circa 1936)
Some Stories in Haileybury

In 1910 he was sent by his company to Haileybury, Ontario where he boarded with the Steele family who had a 'hotel cum guest house'. There he met the fifteen year old daughter of his landlord. Her name was Cassie. Romance blossomed but not with the blessing of Cassie's parents. David was Catholic and Cassie was Protestant. The romance was furtive and furious, but not futile. The couple often met at the home of Cassie's older married sister Sadie. One day while they were visiting Sadie, Cassie's father Henry came bursting into the house looking for 'that little dago'. Davie, as he was known, was hiding in the closet. Another time he was almost caught but escaped through a bedroom window.

Cassie Steele and Davie Clutchey were married Friday December 8th, at 6'oclock p.m. in Haileybury Ontario. Davie was 26 and Cassie was 16. The reception was tendered by Mr. and Mrs. George Cox (Sadie and her husband George) and there is no record to indicate whether or not the bride's parents attended either the wedding

 or the reception.       

 

THE INVITATION ABOVE READS AS FOLLOWS

Mr. and Mrs. George Cox

request the pleasure of your company at

a Reception in honour of the

marriage of her sister

Cassie

to

Mr. Davie Clutchy

on Friday Dec 8th,1911

at six o'clock p.m.

Broadway street  Haileybury, Ont.

 

 

 

 

     It is interesting to note the spelling of Davey Clutchey  as 'Davie Clutchy'
 
The Haileybury Fire

The family went through some tumultuous years in Haileybury not the least of which was the forest fire that decimated the city and burned down Davie's new electrical business. The bush fire had been burning for several days in the vicinity of Haileybury but early one morning it was seen to be getting closer to the community and was burning out of control. Mattie, the Clutchey's eldest daughter, was at school. Davie left Cassie and the two youngest children at the time, Marie and Margaret and went to get Mattie at the school. The two parents and three girls finally got together and got the last trolley out of Haileybury before the fire burned the community to the ground, including Davie's new shop.

After the fire Davie and Cassie rebuilt the shop (it still stands in Haileybury), but the fire ruined the community's economy and the family decided to move to Timmins, Ontario, where their remaining two children were born.

The Timmins Clutcheys
DAVID CLUTCHEY SR.: He was a delightful man, generous to a fault, a loving father and husband. He lived for his family and was supportive in all of their endeavours, and proud of their achievements. Born on the old Clutchey farm in Brechin Ontario in 1886 he died October 7 1957 from emphysema. He built the Clutchey home seen in the background, in Timmins Ontario, with the aid of friends

Davie liked a drink once in a while but Cassie, who many thought was the head of the temperance society, was dead against it. If Davie was ten minutes late coming home from work Cassie would be at the window looking for him. One unforgettable Xmas Eve it happened, Davie stopped in for a pint after buying the kids Christmas presents, and after having one too many, he came home without the presents.

     Cassie (Steele) Clutchey and Davey  Clutchey

Photo Left: This photo was taken circa 1935 at Webdale Rock aka Scouts Rock located at the end of Toke Street in Timmins Ontario.

Photo below: Cassie 1983   the photo was taken at the Clutchey family reunion in Mazenod Sskatchewan July 1984

 

Davie was a loveable and loving husband and father. Everyone would give him a kiss on his bald head as they passed him as he sat in his rocking chair. Unfortunately he was also a heavy smoker and it cost him his life. He died from emphysema on August 7th 1957.

Cassie lived to the ripe old age of 95. She died in Fergus Ontario In May 1990 and is buried in Woodlawn cemetery in Guelph, Ontario. On her tombstone the words "always loved" tell her story.

 

 

 In the Center of the composite photo above Davey and Cassie Clutchey are shown on the right . On Daveys's right is his sister Gertrude and on Gertrude's right, nephew Jim Kelly.

In the Insert, Bottom Left is Davey and his brother Lou.

 Insert Right:  Annie Clutchey (wife of Lou Clutchey), Davey, Lou and Cassie

  • Top insert:  Lou Clutchey, Donalda Kelly and Davey Clutchey
  •  
  • Photos circa 1955

The Children of David Clutchey and Cassie Steele

Patricia Ball

       

                                    Pictured Below are some family members taken at McDonald Lake in Timmins circa 1950

 

Some Family Members

Back Row:   Tom Moore

Center:  Mattie (Clutchey) Ball, Cassie Clutchey, Davey Clutchey,Bill Ball Sr., Marie (Gumpie), Margaret (Clutchey) Moore

Front Row:  Patricia Ball, Peter Moore, Margie-Jean Ball, Tommy Moore, Billy Ball Jr.

 

 

Shannon, Elizabeth's daughter, graduated with honours from the University of Ottawa and received her  Bachelor of Education from Nippissing University in North Bay.  She has taught in Jakarta, Indonesia for three years and recently signed a contract to teach in Belgrade, Serbia at the International School of Belgrade.            

Shannon in Chiang Mai Thailand

Shannon back home in Toronto, Canada

John Robert (b. 1956) Johnnie, like his grandfather, is a journeyman electrician. He works in Northern Alberta. His work has also taken him to Northern BC., and the Arctic. John is divorced and has a daughter Melissa (b.1983)

Back Row:  Tommy, Peter, Susan      Front Row: Elizabeth, Johnny

Photo Above:  Jamie Moore and Karen Dielman's Wedding day

Jamie is the son of Tommy and Margaret ( Bowen ) Moore.pictured on the left.  On the extreme right is Jamie's brother, Robert

 

IN THE PHOTO ABOVE  granddaughter Marissa Fatt of Anderson, South Carolina enjoys the view from the lakefront swing.

A TRAVELLING FAMILY

The Clutcheys are a travelling family, from the time they worked in Trinidad until the present they have traveled much of the world. from the arctic to the eequator, from east to West they have covered the four corners of the earth.

Dave on the Great Wall in China

Dave and Beth in the Panama Canal

 

Beth and Dave had two children David and Dana Louise.

Davey (b. 1956 ) was born in Trenton Ontario. He,too, was an outstanding athlete but in swimming not wrestling. He was several times All Ontario High School champion and competed in the Canadian National Swimming championships at the age of 14. Later, while at the University of Western Ontario, he won numerous medals while swimming for their Varsity team. Dana, too, was an Ontario High School champion in the Butterfly. After completing school Davey met and married Lynda Holzer of Columbus Ohio, they began a busines first in Cleveland Ohio and later expanding to Columbus, Cincinnatti and Pittsburgh. The couple have one daughter Jessica and they live in the community of Powell a suburb of Columbus Ohio.

Dana was born in Oshawa, Ontario., but grew up mostly in Guelph. She began her higher education at the University of Guelph, but university life did not appeal to her and she enrolled at Sheridan College graduating with a diploma in Travel and Tourism. While still in High School she met and later married Larry Fatt. Larry graduated from Centennial College in Fluid Hydraulics. Larry and Dana have three children, Marissa Danielle, ( b. 1986), Sara Elizabeth, (b. 1988), and Craig Kenneth David , (b.1993). The family presently live in Anderson , South Carolina where Larry is the manager of large manufacturing plant for the Dowty Group of Industries.

FOUR GENERATIONS

DAVID and CASSIE CIRCA 1939 Timmins. Children are: Top left, Gumpy; Top right, Mattie; Bottom left David Jr (Sonny); Bottom right. Bud; DAVID Jr. ( Sonny ) wife Beth and children Davey and Dana. Trinidad 1967 Photo Right: DAVID Jr with daughter Dana, and Grand children Marissa, left, Sara, right, and Craig, center, Belwood Lake 1998
A TRAVELLING FAMILY

The Clutchey's of Guelph have been a travelling family. It all began when Dave accepted an appointment by the then Canadian Department of External Affairs as an 'educational advisor' to the government of Trinidad and Tobago in 1965. While in Trinidad Davey and Dana swam for the Trinidad National Age Group team visiting Venezuela and Barbados for swim meets. During the months of June through August in 1966 the children flew home to Canada to stay with 'grandma Cassie' in Timmins, while the parents headed to South America to pursue field studies. Dave had completed his specialist in geography and Beth was doing undergraduate work in geography as well. Urban geography was Beth's special field of interest hence special attention was paid to the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Sao Paulo, in Brazil, and Asuncion Paraguay, Lima Peru, and Bogota Columbia.

Upon returning to Canada Dave accepted a position as head of the geography dept at Centennial in Guelph and completed his MSc. degree fron the University of Guelph. Beth, too, completed her geography degree at the University, and began to teach at the Guelph Collegiate. In 1968 Dave went to Somalia, East Africa and taught at the University of Mogadishu for a summer session, stopping in Nairobi, Kenya, the Serengeti in Tanzania, Addis Abbaba Ethiopia, and Athens Greece on his way home. While teaching, their travels continued, as they took students to Europe, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and to all parts of Canada on geographic field trips studying Geomorphology, Urban Geography and Cultural Landscapes. They also spent several weeks in China where they compiled a set of videos on the population and culture, transportation, and way of life of the Chinese people for use in their county's school system. Subsequent travels to China, Japan, Russia Malaysia, India, Egypt and the Mediterranean have fostered an interest in the Far East in recent years.

They also entered the business world starting a very successful Travel Agency in Guelph. This enabled them to travel to numerous tourist destinations popular with Canadian tourists for the purposes of advising their clients of appropriate destinations when choosing a vacation.

Writing the history of their families has taken much of their recent efforts of Beth and Dave, and enriched their lives through study trips to France visiting Mortagne au Perche, the village from which the Clutchey ancestors came. Tourouvre, La Rochelle, La Fleche and other historical points of interest from which so many pioneers from France came to colonize Canada, also have been the focus of some of their interest and writing.

In 1989, Dave Jr.,  retired, followed a year later by Beth. They now live in Naples, Florida, in the winter and their summer home in  Foxboro Green, Baden,  Ontario in the summer.    Golf and  for Beth  and tennis for Dave, take up most of their leisure time, with genealogy, travel and grandchildren adding the spice to their lives.

A COLLAGE OF

THE CLUTCHEY FAMILY HOME IN FOXBOROGREEN

NEAR WATERLOO, oNTARIO

The collage was created from photos taken on Thanksgiving Day 2007

Pictured in the miniatures from left to right, Dave on the back patio. Brother  Bud and Beth in the kitchen.  Sister Marie (Gumpy) and Beth

in the back garden

 

The Larry Fatt -  Dana Clutchey Family

 

The Children December 2004

                                        Craig                                                              Sara                                                              Marissa      

 

The children (?)  2008

                                                                                                                                                                    `                               

Davey Clutchey Jr and Jessica Clutchey

      Davey  and Jessica live in Columbus Ohio

Jessica Clutchey -  a 12th  Generation Descendant of Zacharie Cloutier - and a budding Athlete at the Age of Seven years

            Five Generations

    The Composite photo below shows five generations of the Clutchey family. 

     Top left:    Great Great Grandparents Henry and Sara Steele:  Top Center Great Grandparents: David Clutchey and Cassie (Steele) Clutchey Top Right:   David Clutchey Jr. and Beth ( Breen) Clutchey  Grandparents:        Parents:  Dana (Clutchey) Fatt , (Children Marissa, Sara, Craig) , Dave Clutchey III (daughter Jessica)