Walter Smith Haight was born the 30th of June, 1834, in the township of Greenbush, county of Prince Edward, Ontario. Departed this life about twelve o’clock noon on June 17th, 1908 at his home in Hurrey, Alberta. He was the son of Rev. and Mrs. Roland Haight. Both his parents were Friends preachers. There were eleven children in the home of Roland Haight. Roland Haight was a prosperous farmer as well as a very acceptable preacher.
His fine farm with its comfortable buildings came to him from his father, but he unwisely signed notes for a friend who proved a false friend indeed and departed for places unknown leaving Roland to pay those large notes. He mortgaged his farm to meet these, and with his rapidly increasing family found it impossible to pay the mortgage and lost his home.
He continued to live on the farm, however, until after the death of his beloved wife, Hannah. He was of Scotch Irish descent. Hannah Levens, his wife, was also of Scotch Irish descent. Walter was third child in their large family.
One time while walking along the snow covered road while still a lad or youth, he was overtaken by a man in a cutter who asked him to ride. The man asked him whose son he was, and he said, “I am the son of Roland Haight.” Said the man, “Oh, I see. Well, I know your father well. How many children has he?” Walter said, “Well, let me see. You count them while I name them.” “All right,” said the man, and Walter said very rapidly, “Moll, Jack, Walt, Jen, Sid, Pet, Ell, Rick, Sal, Deb, and Rube.” The man couldn’t count them and laughed heartily.
Walter was full of mischief. He liked to play jokes. Once while out in the pasture, he came upon a patch of luscious wild strawberries. He took off his hat and carefully filled it with clover. Then he very carefully picked and stemed strawberries, and covered well all the clover. Now with a wide smile he carries his hat to his mother, but is made quite ashamed when she is so pleased at enough lovely strawberries for supper for her large family.
He became very restless one time while staying with his grandmother. She told him to run to Grandfather and tell him he needed a dose of Doctor Beech. His grandfather was a shoemaker by trade, and was busy. He told him to sit down on a stool a few minutes. He stepped out and cut a beech switch and gave Walter a switching. Some way I never thought that was very funny.
Walter use to tell us he never stole anything in his life but two hen’s eggs. He was looking for eggs for his aunt and couldn’t find any and he skipped across to his grandmother’s hen house and got two eggs. How she knew he got them there he didn’t know, but she switched him good and made him take them back and confess and ask forgiveness.