The name Puddy originated in Somerset England and then to Canada, United States and Australia. If you look at the World Book of Puddy you will see the dispersion, over time, to many countries.

This is my families lineage starting at Henry with his Elizabeth, I don't know when George, Henry's father, immigrated to Canada. My father told us that Henry was a big man plus worked as a butcher and he used to drive cattle to his shop which he owned with his brothers. He used to carry a gun with a lot of cash when he went on those trips because he stopped at farms and cold hard cash was the only currency of the day. The next picture is of Edgar James (pappa) and his wife Pearl (mum). John and Phyllis, my Dad and Mother.

In my father's family were four children Edwin, my father, Margaret and George. Edwin married Olivia and they had two children Phillip and Catherine. My father married Phyllis and  they had six children Joan, Patricia, Jackie, Jimmy, Beth and Robbie. Margaret married Jim Steel and they had two sons John and Robert. George married Rosemary and they had Susan and Sharon.

My father was a Toronto native moving to Waters Township in the late 40's. My dad along with Pappa, Edwin and uncle George, built the house in Waters, where the Puddys grew up.  My dad and mother didn't want their family to be raised along-side a major highway so we moved to Lively at 299 Birch St.  Dad worked at INCO in the warehouse but was rapidly promoted to the purchasing department.

Pat's version

Hello, my name is John Edgar James Puddy also known as James (Jim) Puddy. I prefer to be called James but I will answer to anything but don't call me late for supper!

 The nickname "Spud" originated from Doug Beach in 1962 when I was 12 years old. We used to go swimming at the YMCA during the winter months I remember that is when spud short for spuddy was first spoken. My brother-in-law, Ralf Emblin also goes by the nickname "spud" but my e-mail address is spud@cyberbeach.net.

I was born August 4, 1950 to the Puddy family 4/6 with 3 older sisters, 1 younger sister and 1 younger brother. Joan Kathleen, Patricia Pearl, Jacaline Evaline, John Edgar James, Elizabeth Ailean and Robert Douglas were the names Mom and Dad chose for us. Life was good at 299 Birch St. and I was happy for the most part but now as I think back, I would be a much kinder and compassionate person than I had been in the past.   

Anyway, I grew up in the "Lively environment" just like my peers at that time. The earliest memory that I have is seeing a policeman at the end of my driveway shaking his head, the Sheila Mulligan tragedy. I remember telling Mrs. Head that her son Johnny was getting beaten up by Billy Taggart, also saving Barney Kay who was mentally challenged. Also, seeing Dr. Marlow rushing to save the Landriault girls life, (he didn't) seeing Sandra H. crying and Don Chamberlin lying along the white line of the highway at Meatbird Lake during shift change at Creighton Mine. Mr. Murray consoling me at a pitcher's mound in Creighton and saving Freddy Bushy from the grade 9 kids who were tormenting him. I didn't have problems till I entered high school in 1963. I wish the high school implemented the credit system back when I was there it could have saved me from the embarrassment of having to repeat so many of the years.

I was friends with Dale Lepage who introduced me to Mike Tovey, Doug MacLean and Ralf Schmidt. We all had common interests in music, forming a rock group known as the Synthetic Sun. We played at the Lighthouse in Lively for teen dances and eventually at the Fairview Golf Coarse in Sudbury, Elliot Lake, Espanola and the Sudbury Arena. By that time we were known as Battlecreek and had a new drummer Rick Panas. We were headquartered in Sudbury at the Beech Street Shell right beside Jack Gingras who was a booking agent. We had no formal training in music and got about just as far as we could go. As I look back on that time of my life I am determined to get back in the music industry.