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Barb Glaum on her 1st birthday.1928
St. Catherine's, Ontario, Canada
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While Barb Glaum was not born in Peterborough it has been the place she calls home for most of her life. She was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 1927. Her family moved to Peterborough when she was one year old. She and her siblings, Bernard who was 12 years older and Lillian who was ten years older, were born in Canada, however their parents were both from Leeds, England. Her father came to Canada in 1911 and sent for her mother the following year.3
Barb Glaum having a tea party in her backyard.1933
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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Barb Glaum as a baby with her Aunt Lizzie.1929
St. Catherine's, Ontario, Canada
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Barb Glaum's father John Glaum.1920
St. Catherine's, Ontario, Canada
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Barb's father was a pastry chef and took a job at the Empress Hotel when the family moved to Peterborough. The family would go to the Empress to celebrate birthdays and her father always made the birthday cake. Her favourite cake that her father made was Devil's Food Cake with Butter Cream Icing.Barb's family was Catholic and she attended St. Mary's Convent School for grades 1 to 4. When her family moved from their first Peterborough home on McDonnel Street to a home on George Street she changed schools, attending Sacred Heart Catholic School for grades 5 to 8. Both schools have since been closed. Barb remembers that at Sacred Heart there were only two female teachers that were not nuns. She remembers one teacher in particular, Sister Audrey, who was mean to her because she couldn't draw!
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Barb Glaum as a young child. The photograph was entered in a beautiful baby contest.1930
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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Barb Glaum at the Peterborough Cenotaph1932
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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Barb Glaum talks about the rollerskates her sister Lillian bought for her.28 March 2006
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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Before the family moved to George Street they attended St. Peter's–in–Chains Cathedral. She received her First Holy Communion there at the age of seven, wearing a white dress and a veil. Six months prior to this she was confirmed. Her Confirmation sponsor was her mother's friend Miss Gagnon.Sundays were important days in the Glaum household. Barb remembers going to Mass every Sunday when she was growing up. Sunday dinner was the important meal of the day. It was always served in the dining room at one o'clock. The table was set with a white table cloth, good dishes and silverware and no one was allowed to miss it. Supper was served cold at 6pm. Barb remembers that she wasn't allowed to make a sandwich on Sundays. The family was limited to quiet activities on Sundays, but Barb does remember sneaking off to roller skate after receiving a pair as a gift from her sister.
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When Barb started high school she did not go to the local Catholic high school but instead attended the public high school, Peterborough Collegiate because that school offered a commercial program. The commercial program provided training in short hand, typing and other office skills. Barb remembers feeling that there was a big difference between elementary and high school. In elementary school she was part of a big group (class) but in high school you were more on your own. She felt that you "lost [the] personal contact" that you had in elementary school.During high school Barb worked at the Laura Secord store on George Street after school and on Saturdays. She made 35 cents an hour. Barb didn't participate in extra-curricular activities in high school although she did enjoy going to the after school dances. Popular music at the time was String of Pearls. Barb also enjoyed riding her bike, being outdoors, going to the movies, especially musicals, and reading books about history or about people who had done something with their lives.
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When she was a young girl Barb spent a lot of time with a family who lived in the South End of Peterborough. They had five daughters and they would all go to the movies together. Often her mother would take her to the movies on Saturday afternoons as well. Barb really liked Shirley Temple, and she liked Van Johnson until he made a movie that portrayed America winning the war. Her favourite musical was Carousel.The five sisters' grandmother had a cottage and Barb was invited to the cottage often. Her father would make a basket of goodies for her to take along. In later years Barb would visit a friend in St. Catherine's during the summer or she would take a train to Toronto and then travel by boat to Port Dalhousie to visit another friend in the summer.
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Barb Glaum on the right, with her sister Lillian on the left and their friend Shirley Sisson.1954
Plains of Abraham, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
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Barb had several close friends when she was growing up. She continues to be friends with some of them to this day, including one woman that she has been friends with since she was three years old. Her friend Bert's family lived in the country on a farm east of Peterborough on what is now called Television Road. Bert's mom and Barb's mom were friends.Barb loved going to Bert's farm and has many fond memories of her time there. They would also spend time together at Barb's house. One time the two girls were playing in the backyard at Barb's when they found a hot red pepper that someone had thrown over the fence. They each took a bite out of it and started screaming because their mouths were on fire. Of course the mothers got mad with them for making so much noise that they couldn't have a quiet visit.
Another time out on Bert's farm Barb was feeding a calf. No matter what she held up the calf would eat it and it became quite a fun game for her. This was during the Depression, and Bert's father gave her ‘the dickens' and told her she shouldn't do that because the calf might suffer a stomach problem from too much food and die. Bert's mother was probably in town waitressing or cleaning people's houses. She needed to work because of the Depression.
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