MARIA DARIMONT - daughter of Gaspard Darimont + Esther Willain
- b. 1868-05-09 Jalhay, (Vervier) Belgium,
- m. 1899-08-31 Bruxelles, Belgium + Emile Vanderaegen
- d. 1957-05-17 High Prairie, AB; buried in Donnelly, AB
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As back-ground to the story of my grand-parents, I'd like to tell you that I could write a whole book about their life. However, today I'll tell you a brief episode which will make you understand many things. First of all, my grandfather was an illegitimate child (which was not to surprising in Belgium at that time.) My grandmother married my grandfather because he was a gentle and pleasant. He was an artist who had absolutely no practical sense and one could even say that this marriage was not too well suited nor matched
My grandmother had been pushed to learn commercial subjects in Belgium, in Germany, in England, and possibly in Italy especially in order that she learn various languages. Once her studies were ended, her dominating father told her that she was to marry his partner in business, but she told him very emphatically, and loudly that she would not marry him. Six years later she married Emile, why?....perhaps in revenge???
Now here is a story about my grandmother who owned a store in Kinuso, Alberta, a small village on the south shores of Lesser Slave Lake. Around 1916 although my grandmother came from a family of business people, the store was in my grandfather's name.
There were three general stores in Kinuso in 1916, and each was licensed to buy fur. Of course, there were government regulations and quotas, but all seemed to work well.
One day two men came to my grandmother's store: A First Nations man and his interpreter/translator. The First Nations man, a hunter, had killed a silver fox! All fur-trading stores were looking for such a fur. The translator said to my grandmother, "We're going to sell this fur by tender. If you are interested to make an offer, we'll be open for tenders at 10:00 on Saturday morning." My grandmother took the fur, examined it well and decided to make an offer. She wrote a letter, placed a thick white paper over the letter so that no one could see through the envelope sealed the envelope with the orange-brown wax of the times and affixed her own seal on the envelope while the wax was still hot.
Saturday morning, everyone arrived at the railroad station at the same time. There were five interested people: the First Nation's man, the translator and the three store-owners. After a word or two from the interpreter/ translator, the tenders were opened. The first envelope was that of my grandmother's. The interpreter-translator announced to everyone that Maria had made an offer of $350.00. The two other store keepers laughed out loud and left. My grandmother had a lot of coolness and composure so she did not let herself be intimidated. She made a $350.00 cheque on her Royal Bank of Canada account, and left with the fur. Arriving at her home, rather than offering this fur to the regular commercial dealers, the Brothers Révillons, (Révillons Frères) she decided to send this fur to a merchant whom she knew well and who had a good reputation in New York.
Back in her office, she examined the fur again and enveloped it in good tissue-paper, made an attractive parcel , and wrote a letter to the New York merchant telling him that she had bought this fox-fur by tender and felt that perhaps she had paid too much for it and wanted to recuperate as much as possible what she had paid, then she sent the fur off by post (recommended post) or express post to-day.
Three weeks later, my grandmother received a $700.00 cheque with a nice letter telling her that the fur was a magnificent one and not to be afraid to pay a good price for such quality, and that they were very pleased that she had contacted them.
Maria then asked Emile, the artist, to paint a nice large silver fox on a plank of wood and she told him that they'd post it up on the building which from now on would be called "The Silver Fox Store"
NB. When my grand-mother needed to see her banker, she took the train for Edmonton, no bank closer....
ref: Translated by Lilian Paul Béland
My grand-mother usually wore a tailor suit with a white blouse; here she is
about fifty-years old. Did grand-mother is also wearing a silver fox brooch!
possibly a gift of her husband, the jeweller.
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