The Shawville Poltergeist

June 25, 1885, the S.S. Siberian came ashore in Quebec, carrying 140 children who were residents of the Quarrier's Orphan Homes of Scotland.   Miss Bilborough had brought them to Canada for a new life.

Aboard the ship was a young girl named Dinah Burden McLean, who had been born to Lauchlan McLean and Jane Tait in Glasgow, Scotland in 1876.  (According to the 1881 Census of Scotland, by the age of 4 she was living alone in a home for the impoverished.)  At the age of 9, she was a prime candidate for adoption in the new country, as she would be old enough to help with household chores, and with younger children in a family.

By the time she was 11, she had been adopted by George and Susannah Dagg, a nice young farming couple who lived in Claredon, Quebec, approximately 7 miles outside of the Village of Shawville.  The Daggs already had two children, Susan, 4 and John, 2, with more soon on the way.  Dinah was a welcome help for the growing family.

Soon after her arrival, strange things began to happen.  Money would move about the house.  Streaks of manure would appear on the floor or walls.  The Daggs blamed this event on a young lad named Dean who worked for them on the farm.   But when Mr. Dagg took Dean to the magistrate for dismissal, more streaks appeared in his absence, vindicating the young man.

 

 

Then things began to escalate. Milk pans were over turned. Puddles of water would appear on the floor.  Stones were thrown into the windows.  A neighbour was hit in the head by a  potato. Chairs flew through the air.    One time, right before the Dagg's eyes, the invisible Being seemed to rip the braid of hair from Dinah's head, causing her to scream in pain.  The braid was partially torn, so badly that they had to cut her hair short.

 

 

The events continued through to mid November, frequently witnessed by neighbours and visitors to the farm.   Word began to spread to neighbouring towns and villages, eventually reaching Athens, Ontario where caught the attention of artist and journalist, Percy Franklin Woodcock.  He arrived on the farm in late November, curious and eager to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Dinah soon confessed to Woodcock that she not only heard the Being, but she saw him too - in the woodshed.  Dinah took Woodcock and George Dagg to the woodshed where they called out to the strange Being.  It responded, reportedly being heard by all 3 of them, in a gruff voice filled with obscenities.   When asked who it was, it replied it was the Devil and tried to scare them off.  

Woodcock and Dagg stood their ground though, and refused to leave.  Eventually the Being seemed to calm down.  And when asked why It was bothering the Dagg family, It simply said "just to have fun.".

After this exchange, Woodcock gathered together a group of neighbours and town folk to finalize his report.  To "prove" the Poltergeists existence, he had each member sign the petition/report attesting to their observations.   This report has been transcribed in several sources, such as in the book Ghost Stories of Canada" by John Robert Colombo.

 

What happened to the Poltergeist, and little Dinah is a matter for the history books.  It appears the Poltergeist left the property sometime in late November or early December, after the confrontation in the woodshed.  The exact events surrounding its departure are a bit sketchy.  Some say he agreed to leave, but that prior to doing so he turned into a beautiful spirit clothes in white robes that sang with the voice of angels.    Others say he simply vanished.

 

As for young Dinah, I haven't been able to confirm where she went (or if she stayed) after the events of 1889.  She does not appear on the 1891 Census (although I have more sources to exhaust in that matter).   One story is a bit disturbing.  It claims that shortly after the events in the woodshed, Dinah went to a cousin's home a mile away from her home.   A man came to the door and said her father needed her, and she had to come with him right away.   The story concludes by saying Dinah was never seen from again.

While this ending is certainly intriguing, and would be a classic horror movie ending, it seems unlikely.  The story of the Poltergeist made headline news across the country, and there were numerous witnesses who swore an affidavit as to its existence.  It seems highly unlikely that news of Dinah's disappearance would not have raised eyebrows and garnered public attention.

For More Information

In the interests of brevity, I've kept alot of the fantastical details of the events out of this entry.  But if you're curious, take a look at some of these sources.

1. Shawville Poltergeist -- Paranormal Studies & Investigations Canada
2. Ottawa Citizen Article - April 9, 1957 (source of photographs)
3. "The Ghost that Talked" (1957) - a National Film Board of Canada Movie
4. Ghosts UK
5. Ghost Stories of Ontario by John Colombo (excerpt) 
6. Your Ghost Story - A Visit to the Dagg Farm (2011) 

 

How do they fit in the tree ?

The DAGG family is one of the first families of the Shawville, Clarendon, Pontiac Quebec region.  (in fact, Shawville was originally known as Daggville).  

 

George Dagg's first cousin, Susan Jane Dagg was married to John James Latham, my great grandpa James Hammond Lathem's first cousin.   Which makes George Dagg the 1st cousin of the wife of my 1st cousin 3x removed.

 

 

More To Do

There is always more to do.  In this case I'd like to:

• find out what happened to Dinah Burden McLean.  Did she stay with the Dagg's ?  Did she vanish ?  Does she appear back in the Quarrier's home in Ontario or Quebec ? 
• try to find a current photograph of the Dagg farm house for the tree archives.  (Visit the farm ?)
• watch the 1957 movie by the National Film Board of Canada  - "The Ghost that Talked", which is based on the Dagg Poltergeist.

My Internet Protocol

Over the past couple of decades, through (a few too many) hours of experience on the Internet, I've come to develop my own set of "do's and don'ts". Just to put everyone's minds at ease, and maybe explain the odd thing here and there, this is what I'm referring to:

1. Living People. In the interests of respecting people's privacy, I tend to refer to people by their initials instead of their full names from time to time. And I never show anyone's photo unless I have their permission first.

Admittedly, this could get difficult if I post an old photo that includes someone who is still living. (i.e. say a photo from the 1930's) In that case I will likely just not identify the person, or maybe use their initial. And, should that person ask me to remove it still, I will respect their request immediately.


2. Source Citation I will do my best to provide the source of the information I use on this blog. Admittedly over the years I have accumulated alot of information and photographs that I saved just for my own personal use, and didn't always write down the source. In the event that someone runs across something that they know the source for, I'd appreciate knowing so I can give credit where credit is due.


3. Photographs I have been honored to be given (and inherit) a very large number of old photographs and documents in recent years. I take very good care of these items, and am working diligently to clean, repair, and preserve them. When I do post a photo on here from that collection, it will likely include a watermark, and be at a reduced scale (300-400 pixels) in the interests of file size. However, as I have told virtually everyone I correspond with, particularly family members, if you are interested in having a higher resolution copy of any image, please just contact me and I would be more than happy to share.


And of course, while I'd like to abide by my rule of "if you haven't got something good to say about someone, then say nothing at all".... but that might be tricky when it comes to telling some of the more intriguing stories of our lives. It's hard to say something nice about a murderer, for example. (LOL) But I will do my utmost best.


Next up... a story. I need to find just the right one to whet your appetites for more !

How it all began

January, 1972: I met my paternal grandmother, Bula Margaret Elizabeth Lefave Lathem, for the first time. I like to think that she was in such a hurry to meet me, that she didn't even take the time to take off her hat.

For me, it was love at first sight. Grandma was a grandma through and through. She baked, and crocheted (except on Sundays!), always had a mint in her purse, and a kleenex in her pocket. Her smile would light up a room, reaching right to her eyes and making everyone feel welcome. Her laughter was like a song in the breeze, her voice was soothing and light. She had the softest skin imaginable - holding her hand felt like being encompassed in warm silk.

Over the years, whether she consciously realised it or not, Grandma taught me the importance of family, and the stories of days gone by. Whether it the times Uncle Sam pulled a fast one on her mother; or when Grandpa had tried (in vain) to teach her to drive; how the girl next door was buried in a glass casket, or how Great Grandpa Lathem could have circled the globe with his daily walks. There was always a story to tell, always a family member to learn more about.

My Grandma left big shoes to fill when she passed away, but she also left an unimaginable wealth of memories, and plenty of stories to share. Hopefully, from time to time, you'll get a glimpse of even just a small part of her light and love through my writing.