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Carolyn O'NeilShe was born Carolyn Beulah Emms at the Kirkland Lake and District Hospital in 1944. She was the third child of six to parents Stanley George Emms and Belva Velera Ames. Carolyn was five when the family settled in the small town of Swastika after living in a series of lumber camps her father operated in the area.
Her parents worked together at the Stan Emms Sawmill, in Swastika, from 1949-1960, and a General Motors car dealership afterwards. While Stan operated the sawmill, Belva ran the household, conducted a side business (slab and sawdust) during the sawmill days and helped run the office for Stan Emms Motors. Despite having little education, Carolyn's parents were quite successful, and they fully encouraged their children to at least finish high school.
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Stan Emms SawmillCirca 1950
Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
Credits:Image from the Museum of Northern History Collection
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Carolyn loved school and was particularly fond of spelling, writing, reading and history. She was torn between careers but finally decided on nursing. Carolyn attended the Orillia School of Nursing at the age of nineteen, graduating in 1966 as a Registered Nurse. While in Orillia, Carolyn met her husband to be, Ronald Albert O'Neil; they were married in February of 1968 and settled in Swastika by June of that same year.Nursing became a back-up occupation while Carolyn and Ron had their two boys, Steven (b.1970) and Ronald (b. 1972). With the start of their own family and the gradual passing on of treasured Grandparents, Carolyn and her Mother began documenting the family's history.
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Concern over the closure of the Swastika Public School in the 1970's, spurred Carolyn on to involvement with the Swastika Ratepayers Association where she recognized the need for a documented history of the village of Swastika. In the meantime Carolyn returned to nursing, but her time at the Annex and the Chateau Nursing homes also fed her love of history as she took care of the elderly and heard their stories and recognized the value of the Chateau as an architectural and heritage site.Carolyn O'Neil and Barbara Larivee began to collect and compile a history of Swastika with the help of a Canada Works Grant in 1978. Since then, Carolyn continues to update and make available this information to interested parties. It was during this time that Carolyn launched herself into a fourth great passion - that of woodcarving. Her family, special interests and various "workplaces" have received the benefit of Carolyn's carving talents.
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Carolyn O'Neil and Barbara LevireeCirca 1970
Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
Credits:Image loaned from the MNH Auxiliary (Women of Kirkland Lake Exhibit 2012)
Image loaned from Carolyn O'Neil
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In 1983, Carolyn combined her long-time desire to teach with her love of nursing as she instructed the Health Care Aide program at Northern College. It wasn't long before she accepted a position as Director/Curator of the Museum of Northern History in 1985.She had been primed for the position through her work with the Swastika Ratepayers Association that led to involvement with the Kirkland Lake Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee and a position on the Museum Board. After five years at the Museum, Carolyn returned once again to her passion of nursing while swearing, "...never again to let a hobby become a full-time job".
Carolyn retired from nursing at Extendicare in 2004. She continues to delve into family and community history and her great store of Swastika knowledge was put to use at the 100th Anniversary of Swastika in 2008. She devotes most of her time now to enjoying nature and cottage life with family. Carolyn's life is one interwoven with her four major passions of family, nursing, history and woodcarving.
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Carolyn O'Neil and 100th Anniversary of Town of Swastika16 June 2008
Swastika, Ontario, Canada
Credits:Loaned from Museum of Northern History Collection
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