Perry Richards
My grandfather Leonard James Hewer (1882-1943), was the youngest of four children by James Hewer (1847-1916) and Hannah Cecelia (Barrett) (1850-1926) of Guelph. He had two sisters Elizabeth Ann (Christman) (1872-1952), Emma Ruth (Rose) (1874-1962) and a brother Albert John Hewer (1876-1963). They were all born and reared in Guelph. In 1910, Leonard married my grandmother Winifred Olive (Gualt) (1884-1931) of Nappanee, ON. They then moved to Winnipeg, MA to extend the family business - Hewer Seed Co. west. My mother Dorothy Olive (Richards) (1914-1998) and her two brothers Cyril James Borden (1911-1992) and Perry Lincoln (1920-1977) Hewer were born in Winnipeg, MA. In 1925 after wintering in California for several seasons my grandfather immigrated to the states and settled our family in warm Southern California. This move managed to disconnect the ties we had left with our Canadian family roots in Guelph and Nappanee. My cousins, James Leonard "Rioh" (1933), Scott (1952), and Heather (1955) Hewer and I were all born and reared in Southern California. Among us, we have eight daughters. Currently, eight of us from this branch of the Hewer family will be attending the HFR2003 in Guelph and begin rekindling our Canadian family roots 75 years later