GREAT-GRANDFATHER: Edmund Pineau

my mother's grandfather, her mother's dad. My great-grandfather.

Edmund Pineau was born August 4th, 1907 to Henri and Sophia Pineau (Poirier) in Bloomfield PEI.
He was the 3rd child of what would be a family of 8 children. He married Louise Arsenault on August 6th 1930. They had 8 children. Edmund died in 1977.

Grandfather Pineau was a carpenter. During WWII, he was in the protected trade so he didn't have to go to war. He was a pattern maker. In the days before 3D printing, he would make mock-up pieces engineers had drawn out of wood. They would use those wooden patterns to make molds to make the actual metal pieces.

He was also in Halifax at the time of the smaller Halifax explosion (an ammunition depot blew up). His family at home on Prince Edward Island were very worried about him until he managed to call.

A personal family favorite that I have heard before was that he had to go out in a snowstorm on a cold February night in 1934 to get the doctor when my grandmother, Anne was born. She had the umbilical cord around her neck and the midwife was very worried about her. My Aunt Helen says "sounds like The Little House on the Prairie to me".

I have visited the Bloomfield area once with my family. I am not sure what we went there for, but my grandmother and grandfather also came over to visit for the day and we went to visit some family in an old country house. I would like to look into the area some more to find where he lived and where he is buried. I am happy to have the island in my blood. This man seems like he worked very hard for his growing family and I am proud of him for it.

top left: Edmund's parents, Henri & Sophia.
top right: Edmund in military gear
bottom: Edmund working in the shipyards pattern shop, may 1946

From left: Jim Pineau (great-uncle), Helen Stewart (aunt), Edmund Pineau (great-grandfather), Cathy Pineau (great-aunt), Annette Stewart (aunt), Anne Stewart (grand-mother), Louise Pineau (great-grandmother), Doug Stewart (uncle), Ralph Pineau (great-uncle)