John Beattie

JOHN BEATTIE, with his wife Emma Fox and their six children George, Wilfred, John, Maude, Edna and Evea, moved from Udney, Ontario to Douglas, Manitoba in the spring of 1905. During the two years of their stay there, Mr. Beattie was engaged in cattle shipping and also in a carpentry business. In 1908 he moved his family to Roblin where he operated a livery business, but a year later traded the business for the Bert McGillivry homestead and moved to NW 12-27-29. This land was actually situated in the Deepdale school district, but to enable the Makaroff district to qualify for school grants, the Beattie children were invited to attend the Makaroff School. Another son, Isaac, was born on this farm and two years later, in 1914 John Beattie purchased Sec.15-27-29 just southwest of the village of Makaroff. This became their permanent home and while working with his oats one day, which contained a considerable amount of wild oats, Mr. Beattie noticed that the wild oats stuck to his work socks. After a time of considerable deep thinking he held up a flannelette blanket, threw some oats up against it and behold, the wild oats stuck to the blanket - separating the wild oats from the tame. Thus was the beginning of what would later develop into the Beattie Blanket Mill. At this point it may be noted that John Beattie’s son Wilfred, in 1943 constructed and patented the Beattie Wild Oat Grain Cleaner and later, the Beattie Wind Cleaner. John Beattie continued with his mixed farming until the time of his death in 1940 at the age of 78. His wife Emma predeceased him by just 53 days, at the age of 69; they are both resting in the Makaroff Cemetery. The Beattie family did their share in developing the community and is one of the few who have descendants still living in the district. Maude (see T.W. Pound above). Edna (see Walter “Tom” Boyce). Evea (see Harvey Boyce). George married Leola Westfall of Esterville, Iowa. They lived in various places in the west and in the U.S.A. but returned to the Makaroff district to farm NW 10-27-29 for several years before retiring to Oak Point, Manitoba.