The Goler Clan's Isolated Town - Cops Show Up

In 1984, a 14-year-old South Mountain Goler family member cried at school. The teacher asked why. She said her father forced intimate relations with her ten to fifteen times monthly. This allegation shocked the small Nova Scotia community.

An investigation found sexual abuse happened inside the Goler clan.This happened for generations.. Authorities charged 13 Goler adults withThey faced over 100 counts., including incest and assault; many cases involved minors aged 6 to 14.

After more than a dozen arrests, the community called the Golers a “hillbilly sex ring.” Donna Goler, a family member, spoke out.Donna Goler shared her experience.She hoped her story would stop other children from facing severe mistreatment.

The first time I recall was age five, maybe six. I just finished Kindergarten and was starting first grade. I came home, and that was the first time my father raped me.

[I]f someone wanted sex with one of his kids, he let them for a beer, a pack of cigarettes, or even a pack. They chose which child. We had nothing to say. We could not stop them. We were pushed against the wall, and they picked the one they wanted; we had to do it.

Local authorities charged three adult women with incest and sexual assault, including Wanda Wiston. The prosecution convicted her.Wiston was convicted.Wiston received the conviction.She was charged with having intercourse with four boys and four girls, all minors, an in-law from a common-law marriage.One prosecutor said, "It was just like something out of the movie Deliverance."One prosecutor said, "It was just like something out of the movie Deliverance."The court case felt like the movie Deliverance.The court case felt like the movie Deliverance."

Investigators found the latest Goler generations inherited a century of compromised genetics. While the South Mountain families being isolated is old news, evidence shows the inbreeding dates back about 100 years.

In a 1986 interview,1986 interviewthe Ottawa Citizen interviewed,Ottawa Citizen, Acadia University sociologist Jim Sacouman stated during the trial that "manuscripts dating back to 1860 showed inter-family relations were common." Sacouman also pointed out that officials and political leaders should have seen the mountain clan's inbreeding and genetic issues long before the Goler family became news.

People in Kentville reportedly suspected the South Mountain families were inbreeding, but no one acted. Families got help after the trials, yet isolation and genetic problems continued into the 21st century. James Boxall, a professor of human geography who lived in Kentville in the mid-2000s, made observations about the rate of people with developmental and physical disabilities in the area.James Boxall made observations about the rate of people with developmental and physical disabilities in the area:The rate of people with developmental and physical disabilities in the area:

People noticed their genetic issues during Christmas because everyone shopped. I asked my friend, 'Do you notice this?' She replied, 'Yes, it happens when they come down from the mountain for Christmas shopping.'

Boxall was surprised by the direct comment, but for him, it confirmed that people in town knew about the South Mountain families' troubles.

A Canadian news station interviewed a Goler family member, a 57-year-old man doctors called mentally disabled. He had just left prison after four months and felt confused about his time behind bars. He told the reporter he did not know what he did wrong; he just lived as he always had.

One family member reportedly did not even know the word.The Golers didn't grasp what was wrong with their actions: incest." meant. Defense lawyers faced challenges defending the Goler family because many members had already made damaging statements to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) before the trial. The family did not know the legal system in a culture where they had been almost completely cut off.

The Goler family lived in tar paper shacks. Buildings fell apart. They lacked running water, so they had no access to showers or toilets. In the 1940s, houses were so crowded that many children shared mattresses on the floor. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police rescued most children in 1984 living in similar conditions.The Golers lived in similar conditions..

David Cruise and Alison Griffiths have written many nonfiction books about Canadian history. The duo wrote the 1997 bookOn South Mountain, the Goler Clan hid dark secrets.. The book shows the severe poverty the Golers faced. It also shows how limited access to education, resources, and society affected generations of abuse.

Once the public understood why the Golers lived their taboo lifestyle, they saw they needed help, not just punishment. However, the Goler family's crimes angered the local Kings County community. Convicted Golers faced violent revenge in prison, while family members not in prison received public threats.

Social prosecution did not stop the members of the local housing society.The local housing society faced social prosecution.The local housing society worked to solve the widespread poverty in North and South Mountain. New programs offered education for unemployed adults, co-op housing for families, and small homes for the working poor.

One year after authorities arrested the Golers, the region's Family and Children's Services organization saw an increase in child abuse reports. The group took onThe Goler case revealed 117 cases of mistreated children., which was a 108% jump from the last year.

Professor Boxall credits the high number of abuse cases to the area’s totalGeographic and cultural isolation spread awareness of the mistreated children..

Authorities removed 11-year-old Donna Goler from her home during the 1984 raid. The Canadian government gave the 12 Goler children to foster parents; they never returned to their biological family.

Donna's father forced intimate relations with her for years. Donna's testimony at his trial sent him to prison. Ten years later, in 1998, Donna started fighting to change Canadian laws.Donna wanted to change Canadian laws.She wanted laws that better protect children.

Donna proposed making it illegal for convicted pedophiles to be around anyone under 14 without supervision. Her father faced trial again for the same crime against a different child after his first prison release.

When two first cousins breed, there is little risk of a child with physical or developmental disabilities. Experts say, though, repeated interbreeding over many generations increases the chance of genetic problems.

Professor Boxall explains that over time, the gene pool changes in these situations.The gene pool becomes a funnel.In communities with frequent inbreeding, members may take many generations before noticing high rates of recessive genetic disorders.

By then, the trait becomes common. If two distantly related people reproduce, they can keep passing on the gene.

A 1986 article about the Goler family appeared in the Ottawa Citizen.Ottawa Citizen.The article showed the economic difference in the Annapolis Valley of Canada. Kentville's farm owners prospered; seasonal laborers lived poor.

The public accused Kentville residents of ignoring the poor living conditions of neighbors on South Mountain. Locals reportedly knew the poor, rural families as "hillbillies"."hillbillies"People tended to avoid these "hillbillies".

Sociologists claim prejudice and social division partly pushed the Golers and nearby mountain families into isolation.

The Goler family's seclusion meant they avoided proper schools. The boys in the family only got a third or fourth-grade education, leaving them unprepared for life outside the mountain. Many family members could barely read or write.read or write..

This oversight reflected badly on government services and allowed an isolated society to form.isolated society..

After the Golers' troubles and crimes became major news in 1984, the government acted to help South Mountain communities. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Committee provided funds for new housing, including multi-family housing and "hearth homes"."hearth homes"These hearth homes are small houses with only three rooms.

Though small, hearth homes are much safer than tar paper shacks. Stella Goler, the Goler matriarch, moved into her new home starting in 1986. She described her old life to theOttawa CitizenThe winter was brutal after her sons went to jail; they could not gather firewood for her.

Her hands and feet felt numb. Any water dropped on the floor made ice.

She spoke about her new home: "This is heaven. I have hot and cold water, electric heat... that is something to be proud of."

In the early 1900s, farm laborers in the Annapolis Valley had many job options. Reports say,jobs became harder to find.As years passed, the Golers survived on farm labor income but eventually needed welfare checks.Older family members received welfare checks because the younger generation could not find work.The younger generation could not find work.

The Golers and nearby families stayed put instead of moving away. They worked hard to keep taking care of themselves.

Farm labor jobs that once supported them vanished. The Golers became very isolated. Without work, they had little real tie to the outside world outside their community.They had little real tie to the outside world outside their community.Professor Boxall explains that in the 19th century, traveling from Kentville to Halifax took three days; today, it takes 90 minutes.

Larger cities offered more chances, but the Golers could not reach them. After the trial, some Goler family members told reporters they used to just stand around in the house topass timetalk and do whatever they could to entertain themselves.