New beginnings - the Kingswells

Today is New Year's Eve. With a new year comes new beginnings. Of course our new beginnings might not seem as momentous as the new beginnings of our ancestors who made the decision to emigrate to Canada. I've written about my mother's mother's family the Matzkes. Now here is the story of the Kingswells, my father's mother's family. 

My grandparents were Charles Kingswell and Frances Mary Wilkes.Here is a picture of Charles and Frances, not sure when it was taken.

From the writer's own collection

Charles and Frances were married at Holy Trinity Church in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight on November 23rd 1883. 

Photo taken by the writer September 28th 1983

Frances was given a prayer book upon her marriage that was handed down to her daughter Gertrude, my grandmother. She had carefully pressed a four leaf clover in the book, for luck.

From the writer's collection

From the writer's collection

Charles was listed as a gardener on the marriage certificate and in the 1881 census. The story goes that he worked at Carisbrooke Castle but I have not been able to confirm this. 

Postcard purchased by the writer at Carisbrooke Castle September 28th 1983

Frances Mary did not have a profession listed on the marriage certificate but in the 1881 census she was listed as a cook. Many of the other Wilkes family members also worked as domestic servants. Many of the Kingswell family were listed as labourers. Both families appeared to be solidly working class. No doubt they did not have a lot of money nor a lot of prospects for the future. This probably had a big influence on Charles and Frances' decision to emigrate to Canada.

The Kingswell's trip to Canada began on June 18th 1885 when they sailed from London on the S.S. Corean. 

Courtesy of Ancestry.ca

With them were their two young sons: George who was born in 1884 and William who was born on June 4th just days before the voyage. The passenger list shows a John but I believe this was actually William. 

Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada

They travelled with 49 other passengers in steerage and landed in Quebec City on July 3rd 1885. The family settled in Kingston and later moved to Toronto. Charles and Frances had 10 more children. Sadly, four of their children died in childhood, including George who passed away at the age of 12 after a bout of inflammatory croup.

A two week trip in the steerage of a small vessel would have meant the family were able to take very little with them. They probably had very little to begin with. But one thing they did bring was the family carving set. I still have it, well used and worn but something of value that was brought with them to start their new life in Canada.

From the writer's own collection

In Honour of my Grandfather on Remembrance Day.

From the writer's own collection

This post is about my grandfather William Thomas "Bill" Brooks.

My grandfather was born on January 25th 1895 on the family farm in Scarborough. When England (and Canada) declared war on Germany on August 4th 1914 Bill was 19 years old. He had just graduated from the Central Business College in Toronto having learned business skills and was beginning his career as a stenographer. 

On March 7th 1916 Bill enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. We don't know why he chose to enlist at that time. It could be that his friends had joined up. Or the recruitment drive for new soldiers caught his attention. Or having just turned 21 perhaps he felt it was time to step up. We'll never know. My grandfather wasn't a talkative man to begin with but like many veterans of the Great War he didn't talk about his experiences.

Bill sailed from Halifax on September 27th 1916 and landed in Liverpool on October 6th 2016. He was assigned to the Canadian Army Service Corps in Shorncliffe. Bill was fortunate to have stenographer skills as this provided him the opportunity to serve in England for most of the war and avoid service in the trenches. This likely saved his life. He sent this postcard home to his mother during this period-

From the writer's collection

At some point in time he had the above picture taken and sent home as well. I don't know who his colleague was unfortunately.

Bill kept a few items from his war service. He was issued a full kit of supplies including this shaving mirror. It's in amazingly good condition given its age and the conditions it experienced in France

On October 15th 1918 he headed for Europe. Fortunately the war was almost over at that point. He spent the rest of his service in France and England, ending the War as a Corporal. He sent this Christmas Card home to his mother, likely in 1918.

From the writer's collection

On June 2nd 1919 Bill sailed home to Canada. As a Scarborough native he was presented with this certificate honouring his service.

From the writer's collection

Bill settled in East York after the war. He returned to office work for a while but ended up working for the East York Fire Department, retiring as a Captain. In his final years he resided in the K wing of Sunnybrook Hospital with other veterans. 

In October 1914 I presented some of my grandfather's documents and photos to the City of Toronto Great War Attic. My story is in the Canadian Encyclopedia: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/map/?story=166 

From the writer's collection

In honour of my father on Remembrance Day

From the writer's collection

Remembrance Day is very important to me. I am the daughter and grand daughter of men who served in both World Wars. Their service and sacrifice was valued at the time and I'd like to do my part to have it remembered. 

This post is about my father Gordon Russell Brooks.

My father was born on August 17th 1922. He was 17 years old when Canada joined World War Two on September 10th 1939. Joining up was always on his mind but he continued on with his education, graduating from East York Collegiate with his junior matriculation (grade 12) in June 1940. His dream was to attend the University of Toronto to continue with the music studies he had begun at the Royal Conservatory of Music but unfortunately he could not afford university at that time. Toronto was still in the grips of the Depression and money was scarce. The economic situation was a big part of so many young men and women enlisting in the war. 

The story my dad always told was that he kept trying to enlist until they dropped the height requirement down low enough (my dad was only 5'2"). In the meantime he worked as a piano teacher and as a clerk at Harry Boddy & Co, then at Birks (then Birks-Ellis-Ryrie), both jewellery companies. As an aside, my father's name is on a plaque listing Birks' employees who served in World War Two. We were able to see the plaque when the store was first moved to the Eatons Centre from Yonge Street. Not sure where it is now as the store has severely downsized. Wish I'd taken a picture!

On May 25th 1943 Russ successfully enlisted. He spent 9 months in Canada before shipping out to the UK on February 16th 1944. Another story he used to tell centered around his stint in basic training at Camp Borden near Barrie. He was not much of a marksman and claims that he only passed the shooting exam by hitting the target of his neighbour. After that his rifle was taken away from him and he joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps as a clerk. As the initial interview noted "he does not seem to be an aggressive type" and lucky for us he had a clerical position.

From the writer's collection

After landing in England Russ spent 6 1/2 months waiting to sail to Europe. On September 6th 1944 he landed in France. I remember him telling me that even though it was three months after D-Day there was still fighting going on. Russ spent the next year in France, Belgium and England. VE day was May 8th 1945. My dad was in London on that day and claims to have seen Winston Churchill drive by looking quite happy. According to his military file he was granted 9 days leave in the UK starting May 3rd 1945 so it is quite possible he did see the Prime Minister on that day. On his return to France he volunteered for the Pacific Theatre but that transfer was not to be. On July 6th 1945 he was transferred to the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps and promoted to Corporal on July 19th 1945. Russ spent the last months of his was service in the Provost Corps as part of the military police. Here's a photo of him in his Jeep. He always joked that he had a strapping private in the jeep to do the hard work such as arresting delinquent soldiers. He finished the war as a Sergeant.

From the writer's own collection

My dad was discharged on August 23rd 1946 returning to Toronto. These are his ID tags. He received the 1939-45 Star, France-Germany Star and Canadian Volunteer Service Medal.

Above all from the writer's own collection

Ironically Russ returned from France without a scratch. However, he became ill with rheumatic fever upon his return to Canada and was admitted to Sunnybrook Hospital as one of the first veteran patients. For some reason the doctors decided to operate on his knee and he was left with a limp for the rest of his life. Thanks to the Veteran's Act he was able to fulfill his dream, attending the University of Toronto and graduating with Mus. Bac.
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Longevity runs in my family

My mother just turned 90. Hard to believe but she's in great shape and I anticipate she'll keep going strong for some time to come. But she's not the only one in our family. Here's a picture of my mom and two of her siblings when they were kids. Coincidently the two siblings in this picture are the two that are still alive: her younger brother is 85 and her older sister is 97!

From the writer's collection L to R, mother, Uncle Len, Aunt Vi

Even though their three other siblings are now deceased all lived to a good age - my two uncles were 82 and 85 and my aunt was 90. Here's a picture of my grandmother with her four eldest children. I'm not sure if the baby is my mother but it's possible. Not sure who the other two children with the snazzy hats are, could be cousins. So being born on a farm in Saskatchewan obviously was a healthy start to life!

From the writer's collection. L to R u/k, Aunt Bertha, Uncle Art, Uncle Henry, Grandma Bena, my mother?, uk, Aunt Vi

Or perhaps the longevity gene came from the Matzkes, about whom I've already written. My grandmother Bena Matzke Besler unfortunately died from lung cancer at the relatively young age of 75. But her two younger sisters lived long lives. Christina Matzke Schneider lived to 81 and Carolina Matzke Mundt lived to 102! Their father Franz (Frank) Matkze lived to 85. All the Matzkes were born in Romania and managed the arduous trek to Canada so obviously some good genes there! Here is my favourite picture of the Matzke family again.

From the writer's collection. L to R Caroline, Josephine, Christina, Jacobena, Franz Matzke

However, there's some longevity on my father's side as well. My grandmother Getrude Kingswell Brooks lived to the age of 86. Here is a great photo booth picture of her. I call this my glamorous grandma Gertie picture!

From the writer's collection

Her youngest sister Christina Kingswell Clegg also lived to a good age dying at 91. Here's her glamorous photo booth shot, probably from the same time!

From the writer's own collection

Their sister Olive Kingswell Glover lived to 93and their brother William Kingswell to 96. 

On my father's father's side my great-grandfather John Andrew Brooks lived to the age of 88. Here's a picture of him as a young man. I'll be writing more about John and his family in the future.

From the writer's own collection

All in all I have almost 50 ancestors that were born in the 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th century that lived into their 80s, 90s, and even 100s. Life expectancy in the 17th and 18th century was about 35. In the 19th century it was around 40-45 and in 1900 50 for males and 51 for females. Currently it is around 80. Seeing this you would think that it would be odd for people to live as long as my ancestors did. However, the cause for the low average life expectancy was the prevalence of death in childhood. If people were able to survive childbirth and the many childhood diseases that one would encounter in the days before vaccines and modern healthcare they could live as long as people today.

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Dogs, do we have dogs!

National Dog Day was last week so I'm a little late, but I really wanted to write about dogs so here we are!

My family likes pets, and dogs in particular. I have two dogs. My sister has two dogs. My niece has one dog. And I'm sure we'll all have more dogs in the future. We had a dog when we were kids. His name was Scamp and he certainly was one. He was part terrier and part chihuahua and he came from the OSCPA. Here's a picture of him:

All photos from the blogger's personal collection

He was cute but very feisty. My mother was bitten a few times. Another dog attacked and killed him while I was walking him which wasn't a lot of fun. It was many years before I got another dog.

As is the norm, my father looked after Scamp the most. However, I don't think he minded. His family had two dogs when he was young so he liked dogs. The first dog they had was named Buster. Love the name, totally a 1930s pet. Here's Buster:

Not sure what breed Buster was but he sure was cute. Maybe Pekinese? Everyone appeared to spend their time picking him up and cuddling him. A good life for a doggie during the depression!

Taken May 8th 1937

My Grandma Gertie with Buster

Where Bill and Gertie went Buster would follow

Not sure when Buster died but by the time my Mom came along after WWII Smokey was now the dog of the house. Smokey was a Cocker Spaniel. Apparently he was cuddly too though he did bite my mother (there's a theme here!). Love these pictures of my Dad with Smokey!

It took my mother several years to recover from Smokey before Scamp came along but she enjoyed having a dog as much as the rest of us.

To finish off I'm going to add a few fabulous pictures of other animals from my collection of vintage family snaps. We like other animals too:

My dad on a pony

A goat pulling a cart!!

Baby piggies!!!

And my great uncle Ernest with a cat!

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The Matke's Incredible Journey - Part Two

(please read part one of the post below)

The ship the Matzkes sailed on was the Cassandra. In a 1980 letter to me my aunt Caroline told me the ship was beautiful and it sank during the First World War. Here is a picture of the Cassandra:

From the Library and Archives Canada website

The family sailed from Glasgow on July 4th 1914, bound for Quebec and Montreal. Here is the boarding list:

From the National Archives London website www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Their last name was misspelled and they are listed as citizens of Austria. The boarding list tells me they sailed from Antwerp, Belgium to Leith, Scotland via the Gibson Steamship Line. I wasn't able to identify a ship they may have boarded in Antwerp but this was a common route.

The journey took 9 days, ending in Quebec city on July 13th 1914

From ancestry.ca, Library and Archives Canada

They are correctly listed as Romanian on this list. What strikes me as odd is the fact that their destination is listed as MacNutt Saskatchewan. How in the world out of all the places in Canada did they choose that tiny town? Only 80 people live there now, not many more in it's heyday. Wish I'd thought to ask my grandmother about her family's journey to Canada when she was still here.

The Matzke's Incredible Journey - Part One

In July 1914, 102 years ago, Franz and Josephine Matzke, along with their three daughters, landed in Quebec City. Franz and Josephine were my great-grandparents and their eldest daughter Jacobena was my grandmother.  This picture of the Matzke family was taken in 1914 in Tulcea Romania.

Caroline, Josephine, Christina, Jacobena and Franz (from the writer's family collection)

The Matzke's incredible journey began in April 1914 when they received their passport from the Romanian government.

From the writer's family collection

All four family members were named on the passport and the document features French and Romanian text. Interesting, I would have thought German would have been the second language.

Somehow, on the verge of World War One the family made their way across Europe to travel to Canada. The current driving distance between Tulcea Romania and Glasgow Scotland is 3513 kilometers. That's quite a distance, particularly in that time period. I presume they took a train, but I can only imagine the hardship of the journey and the length of time the trip took.

To be continued...

This blog is dedicated to my dad - Part one

From the writer's collection - Baby Russ c. 1923

Tomorrow is Father's Day and I've been thinking about my Dad - Gordon Russell Brooks. When I was a kid I seem to remember him talking about writing a column under the title Babbling Brooks. So I'm using that name for my blog. There are a few other blogs under that name out there but the name means something to me so I'm using it anyway. So there.

From the writer's collection - my Dad the musician c. 1966

So where did my dad write his column? He attended the University of Toronto and completed a Mus Bac (bachelor of music) degree in 1950. He was lucky enough to study under Sir Ernest MacMillan and had talented classmates like Elmer Iseler (Mendelssohn Choir) According to the Torontonensis (U of T year book)he wrote a column for the Varsity, the university's newspaper.

Ancestry.ca - Canada, Selected School Yearbooks, 1908-2010, Torontonensis, 1950, page 179

Two weeks ago I attended the Ontario Genealogical Society Conference: Genealogy on the Cutting Edge. I sat in on an excellent session on how to use Evernote by Thomas MacEntee. I used my new skills to find the Varsity on line and clip and save my dad's columns. I found two from 1949:

The Varsity, September 22, 1949 - March 24, 1950 - November 7th 1949, page 4 Archive.org

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