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Ruth Symes

She lived a long life. She lived a quiet life. And yet, the death of Ruth C. Symes of Minudie on Monday, June 1, 2015 represents an event of some historic significance. She was the great-granddaughter of Amos Peck Seaman, the “Grindstone King” of Minudie. She was the last of the Seaman descendants to reside in Minudie and Cumberland County, namely in the house of her grandfather, Gilbert Seaman, right across from the former Seaman wharf and warehouses.
Ruth was born in the Gilbert Seaman house on June 15th, 1916, the only child of Emma Seaman and George Symes. She received her early schooling at the historic Minudie school house and then obtained her grade 11 and grade 12 high-school certification by correspondence through a high school in Halifax. Many years later, in 1984 in fact, she proved her intellectual abilities, which she so aptly managed to hide from public scrutiny, by being awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree by Mount Allison University. She earned it through summer school and correspondence courses over a number of years, made more remarkable by the fact that she never drove a motorized vehicle.
As a child and young woman Ruth helped her father to run the farm, but she never worked outside the home. After her father’s untimely death in 1941, she looked after her mother and her cousin Jennie, who died at Minudie in 1967 and 1969 respectively. Until recently she has lived alone at the Gilbert Seaman homestead, tending her garden, reading and hooking rugs. Besides some necessary trips to Amherst, Ruth never traveled, although as a teenager she and her cousin, Jennie, accompanied their uncle Frank to New York.
Ruth Symes was deeply conscious of her family history. She recalled the days when the Seaman schooners landed near her house at the Seaman Wharf, unloading various goods from Boston and New York. She witnessed the ferry from Amherst Point land at Minudie to bring the merchants and other business agents to the Seaman dock to purchase or take delivery of dry goods, cast-iron stoves and various merchandise that the Seaman schooners had in their holds on the return voyage, after carrying loads of grindstone to the New England markets.
Her house is full of Seaman artifacts and history. It was her hope and wish, that her home can be preserved as a “King Seaman” Museum. The foundation for that goal was laid by her in the last few years of her life.
Ruth was not much of a “churchgoer” and was not a member of any of the established local congregations. She was closest to the United Church, because it used the church building that had been started by her great-grandfather and supported by her grandfather as a Universalist Church. To preserve that structure she was instrumental in founding the King Seaman Church Society. She has supported it financially and as its Secretary and Treasurer for many years.
She never married and had no close family. She is survived by cousin, Dexter Symes, in Amherst. Seven cousins on the Seaman side live in various of the United States (Frances Bronner in Colorado; Heidi Dittrich in Washington State; Connie Bishchoff in Florida; Harriett Kawamata in California; Anne Fairfield in Texas; Greta Simondet in Minnesota; and Meg Staufer in Missouri). Another Seaman cousin, Sheila Hutchinson, lives in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Most of them have visited in Minudie in years gone by and kept in contact with Ruth. A male cousin, Bill Seaman, lives in Moncton. He is in continuing Ruth’s work with the King Seaman Church Society and the Minudie Heritage Society.
There will be no visitation or funeral service. Arrangements are entrusted to Furlong Jones Funeral Home., 70 Church St., Amherst, NS (902-667-8777). Cremation has taken place. A grave-site service will take place at the Lake Road Cemetery in Minudie on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at 2 pm, under the direction of Reverend Lynda MacCulloch. Anyone wishing to donate a memorial to the late Ruth Symes may direct it to the Minudie Heritage Society.
The Minudie Community and the Church Society will be holding a memorial service for Ruth later this summer at the Universalist Church.
Condolences may be sent by visiting Ruth's online memorial at www.furlongjones.ca or through the funeral home Facebook page.

 

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