Council of Nova Scotia Archives

Musée des Acadiens des Pubnicos et Centre de recherche

The «Jitney»

John d’Eon’s Transport Service

John Edmund d’Eon was born on February 8, 1898, and died on June 26, 1993. He was not related to Adelbert d’Eon of d’Eon`s Bus Line.

In 1925 John (he was called Johnny by most of the people in the village)-bought from Hillaire Pothier (a friend) of West Pubnico , what they called “the Jitney”. This was a passenger carrying body on a truck chassis. A Model TT Ford (one-ton-truck) was purchased from Trefry`s Garage in Yarmouth and then a Mr. Bourque from Belleville (Yarmouth County) built the body. It was an open bus body with canvas curtains to be rolled down on the sides and rear for weather protection. The body had seating for about 20 passengers. Long bench seats ran from one side of the bus to the other. Hilaire Pothier would have started a bus service to Yarmouth around 1921 to 1924-5. John E d’Eon (Johnny) continued with the Jitney until he would have had built (Built by Vincent à Michel d’Eon from the Ville-du-Ouest ) the second passenger bus out of a truck (and with information from Laurent d’Entremont`s books of old stories) we think this bus would have been a 1933 Chevrolet in light blue and creamy yellow.

Johnny had a garage for his bus, so in 1941, a Ford V/8 chassis was bought to build a third passenger bus. This one was built in the garage by his younger brother Henri and a few other men. Johnny drove to Yarmouth for 25 years 1925-1950. “d’Eon`s Bus Service”. By then Adelbert d’Eon (d’Eon`s Bus Line) had taken most of the business and Johnny had to give up his. Johnny’s brother, Henri, built another bus in the same garage; this one was for Nazaire Muise of Quinan, Yarmouth County.

John E. d’Eon was from a family of nine and married on November 22, 1926 to Jane Rose d’Entremont. They had seven children.

Reference: W. R. Rozee Musée des Acadiens des Pubnicos 1998.3-P616

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