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William ANDREW (1848-1920) - #25 (52 Ancestors)

6/23/2015

4 Comments

 
Theme: Homestead      |     Images: Click on many to enlarge
PictureWilliam ANDREW with his 2 oldest grandsons Gerald (Bill)
and Geoffrey ANDREW, c1908, PEI Canada
I decided to look up the definition of “homestead” in several dictionaries and found a good number of variations. My favorite simply said “an ancestral home”.  Another said “any dwelling with its land and building where a family makes its home”.  Several mentioned property, a Homestead Act and government land grants for settlers - these were closest to my previous concept of the word.  But now my horizons are broadened.

Homesteads play a part in my previous stories about my paternal grandfather Henry Angus HENSON who homesteaded in Alberta after getting a government grant, about my 4 times great (4G) grandfather Harry Childeroy COMPTON who settled in Lot 17 PEI in 1803 as proprietor, and about my 2G grandfather Charles S ANDREW who arrived in PEI in 1842 and also settled on land in Lot 17, previously owned by Harry COMPTON.   So now I would like to continue the story of my ANDREWs of PEI, taking advantage of this broader definition: “ancestral home” .

William ANDREW, my maternal great-grandfather, was the son of the above-mentioned Charles ANDREW and his wife Mary HOPGOOD (not WOOD as the published story claims).  William was born on the family “homestead” in North St Eleanors, PEI on 10 June 1848, the fourth of their nine children.  I only have one photo of William, taken with his two oldest grandsons Gerald “Bill” and Geoffrey, sons of his oldest son Albert Edward ANDREW.  I get the impression he was a relatively tall man, with a long face, strong straight nose and prominent cheek bones.  Am I imagining a twinkle in his eye?  On the other hand, his wife was a tiny little lady with a much rounder face.  They were married on the 27 Oct 1870 in St Eleanors and together they had nine children, the youngest being my grandfather Harry.

As further reported in a biographical article on William ANDREW,  published in the 1906 vanity book “Past and Present of Prince Edward Island” by B.F. Bowen & Co. of Charlottetown, PEI, and written by “the most gifted authors of the Province”:  

“... [William] passed his school days in St. Eleanor’s, continuing his studies until his sixteenth year, when he engaged in clerking in a store at St. Eleanor’s, in which he remained two years.  He then returned to the homestead, where he remained until attaining his majority, at which time his father [Charles] purchased the Hope farm and [Charles? or William?] located on it.  About this time the subject of this sketch [William] married and bought the Alfred Compton farm and a portion of the Schurman property, thus coming into possession of two hundred [200] acres of as good farming land as can be found in this locality.  He entered at once upon the active cultivation of these tracts and during the following years carried on a diversified system of farming in which he has been distinctively successful.  During recent years he has done an extensive business in the raising and fattening of hogs, which he has found a profitable line of enterprise.  The place is well improved with a neat and well arranged residence, substantial and commodious barns and other farm outbuildings, and is considered one of the most productive homesteads in Lot 17.  Mr. Andrew and his son operate the properties jointly.  

"Mr [William] Andrew married Miss Harriet W. Compton, of St Eleanors, a daughter of Harry Compton, and a niece of Hubert C. Compton, and to this union have been born the following children: Alice, a professional nurse in Charlottetown; Albert Ed, a clergyman of the Episcopal church and located at Antigonish, Nova Scotia; Delores, engaged in clerking at Summerside; Horace, who owns the Benjamin Schurman farm of one hundred [100] acres at St. Eleanors; Isabel, a trained nurse; Fanny, Mabel, Sadie and Harry.  In religion Mr. Andrew is a member of the Episcopal church in which he has served as an elder for many years and enjoys the sincere respect and the absolute confidence of all who know him.”
Two COMPTON names were mentioned.  Hubert C COMPTON was William's wife’s uncle, a prolific writer who was often published in local newspapers. It's possible that Hubert was the author of this particular biography on William. Harry COMPTON, William's father-in-law (either Harry Albert or Albert Harry, but known as Harry), was the grandson and namesake of Harry Childeroy COMPTON, the immigrant who owned this part of PEI in the early 1800s.

I find it interesting that other names involved in the land transaction are mentioned, specifically Hope and Schurman.  Properties seem to have changed hands quite often; sometimes borders shifted and parcels were subdivided. The following two maps, created only seventeen years apart, show many similar names but shifting ownerships.  Thankfully they provide the locations of the changing ANDREW homesteads.
1863 PEI MAP - North St Eleanors
Picture

1863 - Charles ANDREW has 2 properties south of the road,
as does Harry COMPTON. H N Hope and B Schurman
are shown north of the road, North St Eleanors, PEI
1880 PEI PLOT MAP - N St Eleanors
Picture

1880 - Charles ANDREW has now moved north of the road
and his sons John and William have plots to the south
in North St Eleanors, PEI.
The word “homestead” is used twice in the above article, once in reference to Charles ANDREW's property where William was born and grew up, and secondly in reference  to William's farm.  Were these the same, or perhaps two different locations?  Various stories and maps offer conflicting clues as to where Charles' original homestead was.  The above article says that William bought his own property upon his marriage in about 1870, which implies that he had his own different homestead.  However, the 1863 Lake map of PEI (shown above) seems to indicate that his father "C Andrews" already owned 2 properties on the south side of North St Eleanors Road, roughly corresponding to where his sons John and William later lived in 1880.   Ten years after William's marriage, th 1880 plot map of this same area shows “Wm. Andrews” owning and/or residing on 2 adjacent plots on the south side of  North St Eleanors Road.  His brother John was 2 lots to the west, and his father Charles was now living across the road on waterfront property (this parcel might be the one previously been owned by H. N. Hope and perhaps Mr Schurman according the 1863 Lake map of PEI).  These maps seem to indicate that Charles was the one to move, while William took over one of Charles' previous properties, perhaps the one including his childhood home.  The maps aren't detailed enough, and without land records for these multiple properties, its hard to tell for sure what transpired.

By 1906 when the above article was written, it says that William and his (unnamed) son operated the properties jointly.  This son was likely Horace (still single at this time) who is said to have operated the “Schurman" parcel (the 1863 map showed a B Schurman living near H N Hope on the north side of the road, so perhaps this is where Horace farmed).  William's youngest son Harry, being only 17 at the time, would have been helping his father on their home parcel.  1906 was also the year that immigrant Charles ANDREW died. Could Horace have been the one to take over his grandfather Charles' farm?
Unlike his father and many of his own children, William ANDREW lived his whole life on Prince Edward Island.  The house where he raised his family was a wood frame building, two stories high with  a roomy attic.  It had a lower wing added to the back for the kitchen and eating area.  In one of my conversations with either my mother or grandmother before they passed away, I asked her about their home in St Eleanors, and even drew a rough sketch of the floor plan of the main floor under her direction.  At some point, part of the house was divided off into a small apartment, used by "Granny Andrew" (William's wife Harriet) until her death in 1923, and by their daughter Mabel and her husband Fred MAY, perhaps after their marriage and while they were building their own home nearby.  There were also some sizable outbuildings on the property including a barn that allowed them to care for livestock as well as store crops during the cold winter months.

William’s home farm remained in family hands after his death, and was run by my grandfather Harry ANDREW.   By the time of William’s death on 29 Jul 1920 at the age of 72, son Harry was married with only two young children (five more yet to come).  So neither my mother nor any of her six siblings got to know their grandfather Andrew.  My aunt once told me, though, that William won an award in school for his penmanship, and either this award or an example of his handwriting was proudly displayed on their wall when she was growing up.  If so, I don't know what became of this keepsake.

During the Second World War, the government decided to build an air base in North St Eleanors, and the Andrew property was one of those conscripted for this purpose.  Their barn at least was sold and moved to another nearby property that had been spared, but I don't think their farm house survived.  Of course the land itself remains, now part of the large Slemon Park aerospace and business complex close to Summerside.  I have not yet visited the site where the Andrew home once stood.
Picture

William ANDREW's homestead house and outbuildings,
North St Eleanors, PEI - taken 1929 after his death.
In front are 7 of his grandchildren - they never knew him.
L to R: Alan, Dean, Eleanor, Mabel, Syd, Harriet and George ANDREW.
Picture
Main floor plan sketch - William ANDREW's homestead,
North St Eleanors, PEI
Picture

The large new barn on the ANDREW farm.
William ANDREW was buried in 1920 in the St Johns Anglican Cemetery in St Eleanors PEI, not far from his homestead.  In 1938 when St Johns celebrated its centenary, William's family erected a bronze plaque inside the church to honour their parents William and Harriet ANDREW and their service to the church.  Written by their eldest son Rev Canon Albert Edward ANDREW, William is described as the "High Sheriff of Prince County" and "a just and upright man, staunch Churchman, loyal subject, and citizen approved.  Faithful in all the occasions of life."

REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

Past and Present of Prince Edward Island, published in 1906 by B.F. Bowen & Co., Charlottetown
PEI Lake Map from 1863 - Island Register site
The Lost Settlement : North St. Eleanors, Lot 17, Prince County - book by Wylie Barrett
Slemon Park
-now on land previously occupied by the Andrew farm and others.

I have posted additional  information on my ANDREW families elsewhere on this website.

"52 Ancestors" is a reference to the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge I am participating in.  
Reference the No Story Too Small blog by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow for more details.  
It is giving me  the much needed incentive to write and publish my family stories.
4 Comments

Heirloom of Ivor John THOMAS (1871-1946) - #24 (52 Ancestors)

6/14/2015

0 Comments

 
Theme: Heirloom      |     Images: Click on many to enlarge
PictureIvor THOMAS's large Chinese mirror and stand - family heirloom
I have already written twice on the subject of heirlooms, once about a beaded stool top that belonged to my maternal grandfather, an ANDREW / COMPTON / COATES Family Heirloom.  The other was titled Windows to the Past - Heirloom Samplers and Recipes, with the objects in question belonging to the CHAMBERS women on the THOMAS side of Terry's tree.  And twice before I have written stories about Terry's maternal grandfather Ivor John THOMAS and associated relatives: In Search of Thomas and Yeomans Orphans and  THOMAS - A few More Events Added.  Ivor's life stage encompassed at least five different countries.  He was born in Wales, orphaned in England, sent to work as a farm child in Canada, enjoyed his career, marriage and family in Shanghai and China, and retired to the west coast of Canada with a very brief stint in the USA.

I would now like to add some additional colour to the life story of Ivor John THOMAS: the golden colour of polished brass to be exact.

Sometime during his residence in China, Ivor spotted and coveted a pair of circular embossed and textured brass disks, each mounted on their own black wooden fret work stand. He found them in a shop belonging to a Chinese merchant who was very reluctant to sell them to Ivor in spite of repeated attempts.   So being persistent as well as a strategist, Ivor carefully planned to arrive early on the first day of the Chinese New Year, having heard of their belief that it would bring the merchant a year of bad luck if he did not make a sale to the first customer of the year.  And of course the discs were the only items in the store that Ivor wanted.   I'm sure it took a great deal of haggling, but in the end money changed hands (we don't know how much) and Ivor walked away with his two discs and their stands.  They certainly became treasured items in Ivor's home in China.

Upon his retirement, Ivor brought both disks to Canada.  Then, after he and then his widow Lily Mary died, one of the mirrors was given to Terry's mother Joyce, and the other to her sister Agnes (she later sold hers).  In turn, Joyce's disk was passed down to Terry.  This beautiful family heirloom now graces the hearth in our living room.

We believe that our brass disk started its life as a highly polished brass mirror made during the Qing dynasty (according to an expert on the Antiques Roadshow during their visit to our city several years ago).  It likely dates from the 19th century.  These metal mirrors were made in a variety of sizes, often small enough to be held by hand.  Some of the larger ones were used as gongs.  With the increasing popularity of glass mirrors (invented in Germany in 1835), the use of bronze or brass mirrors died out and many were converted to decorative objects.  The disk faces were elaborately engraved or embossed with meaningful designs. 

Our disk is quite large and heavy, measuring almost 18 inches (just over 45 cm) in diameter and needing its wood stand for support.  Its shiny golden front face is embossed with a very pleasing and intricate design depicting nine "foo dogs" in various sizes and poses.  A larger centre pair of dogs is unevenly ringed by seven smaller ones, and it looks like some of them are romping or chasing one of four round balls.  The Chinese believe that these animals, also known as mythical Chinese guardian lions or fu dogs, offer powerful protection for a home or business.  For centuries, they have carved pairs of foo dog statues, one male and one female, to guard the entrances of palaces, temples and homes for protection as well as symbols of status and power.  So with the images of nine of these creatures on our mirror, surely it must offer us an abundant amount of protection and good fortune.

The back of this disk, although much duller and darker, is also decorated with relief castings of small and stylized figures, flowers, temples, birds and other objects.  Around the small center point are two small curved dragons, each chasing a pearl as well as the tail of the other dragon. Four different Chinese characters  have been positioned at the four compass points amid a field of other figures, each on its own framed square.  We have tried to find out what these characters mean, but have been told they are written in a very old style of character, and no one so far has had success in deciphering them.  If anyone can translate these for us from the following images, we'd be very grateful.
This old Chinese mirror heirloom offers us a beautiful touchstone, tangibly connecting us to Terry's grandfather Ivor THOMAS and his exotic-sounding life in Shanghai.

REFERENCES & FURTHER READING

Examples of other Chinese Mirrors - "Invaluable" auction site
Another large Chinese Mirror used as a gong - Rendells Fine Art auction site (scroll down)
Chinese Guardian Lions (Foo Dogs) - wikipedia
Fu Dogs and Feng Shui
Old photos of Shanghai - Virtual Shanghai site

I have posted additional  information on Terry's THOMAS families elsewhere on this website.

"52 Ancestors" is a reference to the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge I am participating in.  
Reference the No Story Too Small blog by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow for more details.  
It is giving me  the much needed incentive to write and publish my family stories.
0 Comments

George Richardson ANDREW (1916-1976) - #23 (52 Ancestors)

6/11/2015

1 Comment

 
Theme: Wedding      |     Images: Click on many to enlarge
Picture
Wedding of June LEE and George ANDREW, 21 Apr 1945, Toronto, Ontario.
My mother Mabel ANDREW, sister of the groom, is the attendant on the left.
My mother Mabel ANDREW was an attendant (probably the maid of honor) at her older brother George’s wedding.  The only photo I have of that wedding is this informal shot, with Mom the only one looking directly at the camera, and the others caught unaware.  That's likely why Mom was given this photo, and of course I like it, but I wish I had more of the bride and groom.
Picture
Baby George ANDREW with his mother Nell, about 1917, at their home in North St Eleanors, PEI
Picture
George & his sister Mabel ANDREW, about Dec 1919, PEI
George and Mabel were the oldest children of Harry Charles ANDREW and Eleanor Louise RICHARDSON, who raised their seven children on their family farm in North St Eleanors, PEI, Canada.  George was born on October 15, 1916 during the Great War,  just 16 months before his sister Mabel.  He was an outgoing and fun-loving guy who was also known to be a prankster on occasion.  Growing up during the depression, he also would have learned to work hard and help take care of the family.

When WWII started in 1939, George was 23.  At some point he enlisted, perhaps while still in PEI, or perhaps he had already moved to Ontario.  I know very little about his military and wartime experiences, except what I was once told: he joined the Army Motorcycle Corp, attended Camp Borden near Toronto, and served in war.  While in Ontario he met his future bride, June, in Creemore in Simcoe Country, north of Toronto and west of Barrie.

George Richardson ANDREW married Marjorie June LEE on the first day of Spring, 21 Apr 1945, in Toronto Ontario. George was in uniform, as was his best man, as the war had not yet ended.  But celebrate they did!  Germany was soon to surrentder on 8 May 1945, and Japan was to follow suit on 14 Aug 1945.  Then the war was over, another cause for great celebration.
Picture
George ANDREW in 1932 (about age 16) at their home in North St Eleanors, PEI
Picture
Brothers Dean & George ANDREW who both enlisted in WWII
PictureJune and George ANDREW
with their first child.
George and June settled in Moncton New Brunswick for a short time after the war before returning to Ontario where they raised their four daughters.  Over the next few years George's parents and siblings took turns traveling west to settle in British Columbia, some  stopping to visit George and family on the way through.  The last to make the trip was his sister Harriet in 1953, traveling with her husband Charlie Clark and their three kids.

In 1959, George and at least some of his family traveled west to Duncan BC to visit his parents and attend an Andrew reunion held at Harriet and Charlie's home.  It was the first time I met my Ontario cousins.  Over the years there were only a few other trips west for reunions and anniversary celebrations, so I never got to know them well. 

The last time I remember seeing Uncle George was in June 1975 when he attended his parents 60th wedding anniversary dinner held at the Village Green Inn in Duncan BC.  He was already sick with lung cancer, but never said a word.  George died on March 27, 1976 in Ontario, and was buried in Stayner Union Cemetery in Staynor, Simcoe County.  He was only 59 years of age.


I have posted additional  information on my ANDREW families elsewhere on this website.

"52 Ancestors" is a reference to the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge I am participating in.  
Reference the No Story Too Small blog by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow for more details.  
It is giving me  the much needed incentive to write and publish my family stories.
1 Comment

Hetty Mabel ANDREW (1883-1958) - #22 (52 Ancestors)

6/3/2015

0 Comments

 
Theme: Commencement       |     Images: Click on many to enlarge
PictureNurse Mabel ANDREW (front row, left) graduated from
PEI Hospital School of Nursing, Charlottetown in 1918
"Easily the best" class
My maternal great aunt Mabel ANDREW was my mother's namesake.  She graduated at the top of her class in 1918 from the PEI Hospital School of Nursing in Charlottetown, PEI.  Mabel was 35 years of age and single, although she later married Major Fred MAY.  My grandmother and Mabel's sister-in-law Nell (Richardson) ANDREW took credit for encouraging Mabel to take up nursing, something Nell wished she had done herself.

The PEI Hospital where Mabel trained was first incorporated in 1884 and operated as a
public hospital and a training school for nurses.  A new facility was built in 1898 on Kensington Road, Charlottetown.  By 1918, the Matron was Miss Louise Mackinnon, who later became Mrs Arthur Allen.  Mabel's six classmates were Mary Isabel Wright (Mrs Frank MacNeill), Lela S. Acorn (Mrs Lambros), Carrie Acorn (Mrs Ham Brehaut), Jennie May Puncher (Mrs Edwin Weeks), Florence Bruce Martin, and Mae Minchen (Mrs Webster). 

From the following  nursing photos in Fred May's albums, it looks like this class had fun as a group, although I'm sure there was also lots of hard work involved. 
Some of the photos may be copies of official school photos, but I believe others were taken with his personal camera. 

I don't know why Mabel waited so long to start her nurse's training.  She was born 12 Oct 1883 in North St Eleanors PEI, and baptised as Hetty Mabel ANDREW on 14 February 1884, seventh child and youngest surviving daughter of William ANDREW and Harriet Washbourne COMPTON.  She would have spent her early years helping out on the family farm and attending school in St Eleanors.  Her younger sister Sadie died of cancer in 1906 at the age of 20, which must have been terribly hard on the family.  Perhaps Mabel got experience nursing her sister at home, and that could have influenced her decision to eventually take formal nursing training so she could learn how to better care for patients in need.  But if so, she delayed making a commitment.

In 1912, the Prince County Hospital in nearby Summerside started accepting students to its new Nursing School, and its first nurses graduated in 1915.  So why didn't Mabel enroll at this school only a few miles from her home?  Perhaps it was too close, and the bigger provincial capital with its more established school beckoned. 
Mabel's mother's cousin Anna Mary (COMPTON) HASZARD had previous graduated from the Charlottetown School of Nursing around the turn of the century, so family tradition could have weighed in its favour.  But it might have been the war itself that was Mabel's final motivator, knowing more nurses were needed to help tend the wounded.

The Prince County Hospital School of Nursing fonds (Acc4702
on the PEI Archives site) offers a brief outline of how that particular school operated:
... [Nursing] Students at that time were allowed to enter at various times throughout the year and finished their training when three years were completed, with the emphasis placed on clinical performance rather than academic ability. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, more instruction and classes were offered and exams were written. In the early years of the school, lectures were delivered by the medical staff on an irregular or 'as time permitted' basis. Mrs. Robert Palmer, hired in 1942, was recorded as the first full -time instructor. In 1956, the nursing students on PEI began to write the National League for Nursing examinations. Prior to this, exams were set and corrected on PEI. In 1970, Canada wide exams were introduced.
On the assumption that some of these operational practices were generally followed by other nursing schools in this time period, and if  the Charlottetown school also offered a three year program, then Mabel could have enrolled in 1915 in order to graduate in 1918 at the end of the Second World War.

A 1919 news article in the Charlottetown paper mentions "Nursing Sister Andrew, at present in the city", referring to her as a sister of
Rev. Albert Edward ANDREW who received his Military Cross medal.  The term "Nursing Sister" is usually reserved for military nurses, but we cannot find any records of Mabel enlisting, nor of her working after graduation (except for this one news reference).  It is possible she worked at a public and/or military hospital in Charlottetown, but if so it wasn't for long.  Mabel's father's health was failing and he died on 29 Jul 1920, so Mabel probably returned home to St Eleanors to do some private nursing.

I need to backtrack a bit because another factor was a play here.  Sometime while she was still in Charlottetown, Mabel met officer Frederick F. MAY, a banker with previous military training and experience who had enlisted in 1914 to go overseas
with the 26th New Brunswick Battalion in the First World War.  He was wounded early in the war and invalided home, later becoming a recruiting officer in New Brunswick.  One theory is that Mabel met Fred while he was recovering in hospital in Charlottetown, perhaps as early as 1915 when she was a nursing student.  From the number of nursing photos in Fred's albums, he likely knew and even dated more than one nurse in Charlottetown. 
After the war Fred chose Mabel to be his bride, and their engagement was announced on 2 Feb 1921 in the St John Telegraph paper (New Brunswick).  Mabel's father William ANDREW had died the previous summer, and Fred's widowed mother Henrietta MAY had passed in December in Charlottetown, so the couple decided they would settle in St Eleanors near her family and aging mother.

The following marriage announcement was published in the Charlottetown Guardian on 16 July 1921:
MAY-ANDREW NUPTIALS
At an early hour on the 14th, inst., at St John Anglican Church St Eleanors, PEI, the marriage took place of Major Frederick F May, only son of the late Robert and Henriette F May of Charlottetown, to Miss Mabel H Andrew, youngest daughter of the late William and Mrs. Andrew of North St Eleanors.  Owing to recent bereavement in the families of both bride and bridegroom, only the immediate relatives and friends were present at the ceremony.  The church was prettily decorated with flowers by friends of the bride, who is a graduate nurse of the PEI Hospital.  The bride looked charming in a navy blue travelling dress with a hat to match and carried a bouquet of Ophelia roses, while the groom wore the service uniform of his old Overseas Battalion, “the Fighting 26th”, the NB and PEI unit.  The wedding was performed by Rural Dean White, rector of Summerside and St Eleanors.  and there were no attendants.
After the ceremony Major and Mrs. May left for a wedding trip to the mainland.  On their return they will reside in St Eleanors.  Numerous presents were received by the bride from her many friends.  The Guardian joins in happiest congratulations.
(St. John Papers Please Copy)
Picture
Mabel ANDREW and Fred's horse Tom on
13 July 1921, the day before her marriage
I do not have any photos of their wedding. Their honeymoon was a grand trip to Quebec, and there are enough photos of their journey in his album to warrant a separate story on this. 

As
married women did not work in those days, Mabel became a housewife.  In 1921 Fred built a house for them in  St Eleanors, but it tragically burned down early one morning from unknown causes just before it was ready for occupancy.  Thank goodness they weren't already in residence.  Although they had very little insurance, they quickly built another house in 1922. 
PictureMabel MAY with a box of new chicks
at home in St Eleanors PEI, 1925
Mabel wanted a family in spite of her advancing age - she was almost 38 when she married and Fred was only six days younger than her.  Mabel became pregnant in about 1922, but the child was stillborn.  Family stories say that there were complications at birth and the doctor waited too long to take necessary action, otherwise the baby would have been healthy.  They also say that Mabel was then unable to have further children and again they laid the blame for that on the attending doctor.  It was a double misfortune for the couple.  Her niece and my Aunt Harriet, who was born about this time, once told me that Mabel wanted to adopt Harriet so she could still have a child, but her mother Nell wouldn't agree to it.  Harriet remembers being sent to visit the Mays a fair bit as she was growing up, perhaps to compensate.  So Fred and Mabel remained without children.

They both were avid gardeners (flowers as well as vegetables), and kept chickens.  Fred had a horse named "Tom", a beautiful animal who pulled their buggy and sleigh, perhaps even after they got a car.  The couple kept involved
with their Andrew relatives, visiting, having them over for meals, taking them places in their car (picnics, fishing etc.), and traveling farther afield with some of them.  In 1936 a family group traveled to Nova Scotia to visit Mabel's brother Albert and family.  As Fred had been an only child who lost his father at a young age, he was overwhelmed at times by the large and often boisterous Andrew clan.

PictureMabel's brother Harry ANDREW with Mabel and Fred MAY
on 19 Aug 1935 on a trip to Shediac NB
After the Second World War when Mabel's younger brother Harry and Nell decided to move west to Vancouver Island, Fred and Mabel decided to move too.  They bought a small 2-bedroom bungalow at 667 Coronation Avenue in Duncan BC.  It had a huge cedar tree in the front yard and a small detached garage on the left towards the back of the property.  Mabel planted primulas, pansies and snowdrops in the borders, and fragrant honeysuckle on the trellis to the right of the front door.

After less than five years in Duncan, Mabel was widowed in 1951 when Fred collapsed from a heart attack in their home.  Sometime in the ensuing seven years Mabel developed bladder cancer, and my grandmother Nell Andrew helped care for her.  In the end she died of a stroke on 8 Dec 1958 at Kings Daughters Hospital in Duncan.  I have an early memory of my mother getting a call from my grandmother who had been keeping vigil, saying that Aunt Mabel had passed on.  I'm sure we must have visited Mabel at her house on occasions before she was went into hospital, but I have no clear memory of that. 

In her will, Mabel left her house to my mother Mabel, her namesake and a widow with two young children.  I have very fond memories of that little house where we lived for about five years.


REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

Prince Edward Island Hospital School of Nursing - Class of 1918, Acc4670 - Archives Council of PEI site (7 photos not displayed)
Prince Edward Island Hospital (Charlottetown) collection, Acc4840
- Hospital history on
PEI Archives site.
Prince County Hospital (Summerside, PEI) School of Nursing, Acc4702 - Hospital history on PEI Archives site.
 
I have posted additional  information on my ANDREW families elsewhere on this website.

"52 Ancestors" is a reference to the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge I am participating in.  
Reference the No Story Too Small blog by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow for more details.  
It is giving me  the much needed incentive to write and publish my family stories.
0 Comments

    Authors

    Terry and Claudia Boorman have been interested in their family history since the 1980s.  They live in Victoria BC Canada.

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