The Second Generation

Birthdays

Alex and Sarah McDonald had four children:

Christina (Tena) Catherine was born on July 18th, 1896;
Romeo (Romey) McDonald was born on May 8th, 1898;
Jeannette Anne was born August 31st, 1902; and
Angus James was born June 7th, 1905.

The School Years

Tena started school in 1903 in Edmonton where she stayed with an aunt. Romey and Jeannette started school in St. Albert whose teacher was Mike Hogan. In 1907, the entire family moved to St. Albert for two years so the children could attend school there rather than sending them to boarding school. The farm was rented to Mr. Laroque. The first house which the family rented was on the northwest corner of Mount Royal Drive and Mission Avenue. Later they moved near the grain elevators. While in St. Albert, Alex did freighting to Athabasca Landing and Pembina River.

By 1911, the O'Donnell School was being build near the farm so the family was situated on the northwest corner of River Lot 14. As Tena was now 15 and Romey was 13 years old, they could drive themselves to school in St. Albert with a horse and buggy. Whenever Romey, Tena, Jeannette and Angus were not in school or doing chores, they enjoyed swimming in the Sturgeon river during the summers or skating during the winters.

The McDonald family was deeply involved in the school offering room and board to many of the teachers. Alex McDonald was one of the first school trustees and 20 years later his son Romey McDonald served in the same capacity.

After Finishing School

The McDonald children remained at home for some time following their schooling. Jeannette was the first to leave in 1921 when she attended Normal School . Angus attended Normal School in Camrose in 1925-26. Angus had his first teaching position at the Glengarry School from 1931 to 1936. Tena remained with her parents on the farm kindly helping with the many activities of farm life. Romey also remained with his parents on the farm. After his marriage in 1934, Romey continued to make the farm his home and worked alongside his father.