| HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | John McKendrick Hughes was born on a farm near Richibucto, New Brunswick on August 15, 1882. In 1889, the family moved to Massachusetts so that Hughes’ father could manage a local sawmill. The family subsequently homesteaded north of Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1899, the family left to homestead in Alberta. The family homesteaded in the Fort Saskatchewan area. In 1910, John McKendrick Hughes married Sarah Maria Purdie Paul. Sarah had worked as a school teacher until her marriage at age 18. The couple homesteaded at Lavoy. John McKendrick Hughes joined the 19th Alberta Dragoons in 1906 and served until 1934. McKendrick Hughes was sent to the European theater during World War I. McKendrick Hughes returned to Alberta in 1919. McKendrick Hughes was also active in a number of organizations. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, the United Farmers of Alberta, Alberta Poultry Producers, Northern Alberta Dairy Pool, Alberta Seed Growers Co-op, Alberta Wheat Pool, United Grain Growers, the Farmers Union of Alberta and the Alberta Old Timers and Pioneers Association. Sarah died in 1966. John McKendrick Hughes died in 1967. The couple had four sons, Ted, Bill, John Paul and Neil. John Paul Hughes was born in 1912. In 1941, he went overseas in an armoured regiment. At the end of World War II, he returned to Edmonton, married and raised a family. In 1967, he retired to British Columbia. |