Rooted in Lakeshore soil.
Ours is a family orchard, tended the same way through every generation: watch the trees, work with the seasons, and let the fruit speak for itself. Here's the short version of how we got here.
The farmhouse and barn, photographed roughly a century ago — the original buildings Moise Sequin raised after clearing the land by hand.
The Sequin family
Elivia Sequin married and settled in Grande Pointe, Ontario, north of Chatham, raising five boys and four girls. One of those sons, Moise, was born in 1871 in Tecumseh, Ontario.
Moise buys the farm
At 22 years old, Moise Sequin bought a 100-acre farm in Maidstone Township from the Canada Land Company for $2,200. The land was all forest, and for the first few years he made his living chopping trees down by axe and selling the wood. As land was cleared, he began farming it with the help of a horse.
The Kennettes arrive
Moise married Selima Renaud, and together they had two surviving children, Raymond and Veronica. Veronica grew up and married Paul Kennette, and in 1946 Paul bought the farm from his father-in-law. Moise lived out his years on the farm with Paul and Veronica until he passed in 1961 at age 90.
Paul and Veronica's farm
Paul and Veronica raised 12 children on the farm, making a living from the land and a few cows, pigs, and chickens. Veronica passed away in 1957; Paul continued farming until his death in 1983.
Lawrence and Linda take over
Lawrence Kennette, one of Paul's sons, married Linda Umbenhower in 1981. In 1986 they bought the 100-acre family farm from Paul's estate, and in 1987 they took down the old farmhouse and built a new home in its place. They raised three children on the farm — Lawrence, Christopher, and Tammy.
Five generations of this land
The family still farms the land today, with three acres of apple trees and a few chickens. Six acres of forest still stand in the middle of the farm — a living reminder of the woods Moise first cleared by hand back in 1893.
