A fragile, yellowed newspaper clipping found in Ireland started a journey that brought Liz and Paul Armstrong halfway around the world to Prince Albert and into the basement archives of the Prince Albert Historical Museum to rediscover a family story that had nearly been lost.
The clipping dated March 2, 1967, celebrated Liz’s great-grandmother, Mrs. Lillian Paine, as a Mont St. Joseph’s resident who had read the Herald for 60 years. Buried at the bottom was a single line that set Liz’s journey in motion: one of Mrs. Paine’s sons, Henry Douglas Paine, had once been a Herald sports reporter.
“That was the spark,” Liz said, emotion in her voice. “I just had to come and see where my family lived, worked, and worshipped, and to meet whoever might still be here.”
Curious to know more, Liz emailed Daily Herald editor Jason Kerr, who connected her with Prince Albert historical Society member, and museum archive specialist Fred Payton. Payton began digging into old directories and obituaries to trace the Payne and Brown family lines.
A Morning in the Archives
On Thursday, Liz and Paul stepped into the basement archives of the Prince Albert Historical Museum, where volunteer historian Fred Payton had prepared directories, obituaries, and old Herald clippings.
Payton flipped through a 1929 Henderson’s directory until his finger stopped. “Here it is,” he said, smiling. “Douglas Payne, reporter, Herald. And here’s his address, 2327 First Avenue West.”
Paul leaned in over the pages, fascinated.
“This is a journey of discovery,” he said softly.
Payton also told Liz about a moment that gave him goosebumps. While at St. Alban’s Anglican Cathedral one Sunday, he met Wendall Brown, sitting two pews behind him.
“He told me he had an Aunt Ina,” Payton said. “Right away I thought, Robina! That had to be Liz’s grandmother. That’s when the Brown connection fell into place.”
Payton also showed them listings of Browns who worked at the Herald, deepening their sense that both sides of Liz’s family were woven into Prince Albert’s history.
Liz and Paul Armstrong study a decades-old edition of the Prince Albert Daily Herald as Fred Payton points out stories connected to their family history.
Ties That Bind
During their stay, the Armstrong’s visited St. Mary’s Cemetery, where Payne and Brown relatives are buried only a few meters apart. They walked past houses where family members once lived and visited the school Liz’s grandmother may have attended.
Earlier this week, they joined nearly 40 relatives at a family gathering organized by Jennifer Brown.
“It was overwhelming in the best way,” Liz said. “Everyone introduced themselves and told me how we were connected. I felt such a closeness; these are my people.”
Liz’s grandfather was left behind in Ireland at age eight because of illness and didn’t join the family in Prince Albert until he was 26. There, he met and married Robina Brown at St. Alban’s Cathedral before eventually returning to Ireland.
“To be able to stand where they stood and pay my respects on behalf of my family, it means so much,” Liz said.
A Story Preserved
Liz said her goal is to compile everything she’s learned, the photos, letters, and records, into a written history for her children and grandchildren.
“This trip has been about more than finding dates,” she said. “It’s about giving this story a future so it won’t be lost again.”
For Fred Payton, helping families like the Armstrongs is why he spends so many hours in the archives.
“When we can put the pieces together like this, it brings us all a little closer,” he said.
And for the Daily Herald, the story has come full circle; a family that once read and wrote for the paper is now being written about once again.
