included shelter for the newcomers in his supply store at Beach Point
along with tools and seed for the first year’s crop. This is how the
original Guernsey settlers got started in 1806 and the same support
would be available for others.

An even more likely possibility is that the Becks were assisted by
James Irving and/or James Penny who were their nearest neighbours,
with farms in Beach Point near the Cambridge store. Elizabeth was
pregnant at this time with her third child, and Mrs. Irving and Mrs.
Penny would both be available for support. The two families likely
offered the Becks shelter too so they wouldn't have to rough it in the
store,

The Cambridge people would give Vere the tools he needed to
get started and show him how to use them. He would need an axe,
a saw, a hammer and a pickaxe among other things. And in those
days neighbours rallied together to help each other. Very soon after
the Becks arrived the men of the area would gather to help the new
family get started. They would quickly erect a small log cabin and
clear some land for planting a crop. As soon as some land had been
cleared, the seed would be planted between the stumps.

The early settlers relied on basic crops such as potatoes, turnips,
and wheat. The seed would be in the ground within a week or two of
their arrival and the residents of Murray Harbour would be pleased
to know they had a new family in the community. In those days,
neighbours really looked out for each other.

Helping to build the cabin and plant the crop would serve as a
crash course to teach Vere how to use the tools he needed to survive.
Watching the other men at work would be enough to get him off on
the right foot. Once the roof was tight then it would be off to the
Cambridge store to get some furniture and cooking utensils, such as
pots, dishes and cutlery, enough for the family to get started with. If
Vere had some money in his pocket when he arrived he could pay
in cash, if not it would go on his bill to be paid for in future lumber
deliveries.

It was about two miles as the crow flies from the Beck cabin to his
neighbours in Beach Point. The work party would have blazed a trail

32