Happy Mother's Day Mom - Florence Marjorie Poole

Marjorie Poole 1953

FACTS:

Margie 1931

• Name: Florence Marjorie Poole - Check
• DOB: May 30, 1928 - Check
• Place of Birth: Forteau, Newfoundland (actually Labrador) - Check
• Parents Names: Alice Maud Salter and William Edgar Poole - Check
• Spouse's Name: Baxter Abel Joseph Smith - Check
• Date of Marriage: August 4, 1954 - Check
• No. of Children: 2 - Check
• Occupation: Post Mistress - Check
• Died: June 30, 1995, Corner Brook, Newfoundland - Check, Unfortunately.

Wedding Day 1954

MEMORIES:

LIKE...........

Smelling the fresh, cold air emanating from her skin, as she entered my grandparents' house to retrieve me after a weekend stay; her hot pink smile contrasting against the silver fox fur of her winter coat - the same coat she would cover me in as I fell asleep just because I liked the softness against my face.

Holding my hand as I walked on the light grey stone, that half-wall in front of the Masonic Lodge, me, the clumsy gymnast, hanging on to power, as we made our way up West Street; carefully watching to make sure I didn't fall, smiling with encouragement. So much patience.

Taking me to work, "her little postmistress", as a treat; because she could. Allowing me to stamp everything in sight. Bright red ink, on paper, on fingers, on nose.Black ink smuidged across the back of my hands.

Sitting on the edge of my bed, telling me stories - for what seemed like hours - when I was sick so that I wouldn't feel lonely. Temple massage included at no extra cost.

Reminding me with a twinkle in her eye that Santa had left my "Crissy" doll next to my bed like I had asked him to do -  when, in horror, I did not find her under the tree.

Meandering down the bank behind "the house" - our spring journey - filling the buckets with rich black soil - nutrients - life to breathe into the red brick planter stand.

Attempting to hide her worry, her face clearly not following the directions, while listening to doctors argue over which was the best course of action to treat my broken arm; holding me, comforting me during our 6 hour ER stay.

Telling me for the 'nth' time about the day I was born. (It was in a blizzard and thus she was strongly considering calling me Gail).

Watching the orange sunset of chiffon flow over the stairs, the sprinkling of Chanel No. 5 throughout the room. Oh how I loved seeing her dress up for New Year's Eve. One day I was going to flow over stairs dotting the room with a beautiful breeze.

Me and Mom, My Baptism Day

Thanking every day that I have my memories of her....

Smiling, laughing, loving - perfectly.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

Florence Lavinia Salter - The Lure of the Big City

 As part of the 52 Ancestors project, it was suggested that this month we write about a few of the women in our family tree who we felt were fearless. I looked through my tree and suddenly realized I have so many from which to choose. Let's face it; if you lived in Newfoundland and Labrador during the 1800's you deserved a medal. It wasn't an easy life especially if you lived in the rural areas of the land. The turn of the 20th century was not much better.

Those women worked hard and persevered through extreme conditions. Whether it was Bridget Sisk from Ferryland who went to Riviere St-Paul, Basse-Cote-Nord, Quebec, Lavinia Roberts from Brigus who met up with her brother Issac in the Strait of Belle Isle, Labrador or Mary Ann Vane Courtenay of Devon, England who was shipwrecked on the shores of Brador, each and everyone of them deserves to be admired for their determination to create a life for themselves and their families.

Rather than focus on a female ancestor who moved to or stayed in the province, I have decided to focus on one of the women who left her homeland behind to find a "better" life.

Flossie Salter, cousin Howard
& sister Maud, 1914 

My grandmother Poole's sister, Florence Lavinia Salter, married my grandfather Poole's brother Harold in 1927. To make it clear - two sisters married two brothers. Shortly after, Flossie and Harold were New York City bound. Harold was hired as an ironworker, building the high rises in the massive city. Starting in the early 20th century, there was an exodus of Newfoundlanders who had left to make money in the bustling American economy. Whether it is New York City or Boston, you will find many families with Newfoundland roots. The men became legendary for their ability to walk the narrow iron above the busy streets below. Many of the young wives, if they hadn't started a family, worked as domestics to help settle into this new normal.

Flossie & Harold
Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NYC late 1920's

Flossie and Harold moved to the borough of Brooklyn as did many of their compatriots. However the 1929 stockmarket crash, as we all know, drove the country into economic depression.  Ironwork continued for a short while but like everything else, was scaled back. Flossie and Harold remained in Brooklyn until 1930/31 but soon after packed their belongings and moved back to Hant's Harbour, Newfoundland where they built a house.  Much of Harold's family still lived in Hant's Harbour; all of them trying to ride out the depression storm. It wasn't the fast paced life of the big city but there they had a roof over their heads and plenty of food.



Towards the end of the decade, the economy began to improve and the city beckoned. Flossie was not much for the outport life in Newfoundland and wanted to get back to New York and the lifestyle she so desired. The construction industry started to boom and more ironworkers were needed. By 1940, Harold and Flossie had settled back in Brooklyn leaving their old lives behind.

Harold died in 1980 at the age of 77 while Flossie lived to the age of 94. She passed away in 1994 in her beloved Brooklyn.

Marjorie Poole - Consumed

Marjorie Poole c. 1919

I have often thought how horrible the feeling must be in losing a child; not miscarriage or still-birth although painful in their own right, but having a beautiful person in your life - 2, 4, 6 yrs and beyond. What feeling could be worse than outliving your child?

My grandfather had two older siblings who had died of diphtheria but the family seemed to survive other maladies of the time. Pop, who had become the eldest, moved onto life at sea finally settling down in Forteau, Labrador in 1918. His younger siblings included four sisters and one brother who was the youngest. His "little sister", Marjorie, was a real joy; a beautiful young woman full of life.

Back on the island of Newfoundland as was happening in Labrador and around the globe, tuberculosis was gripping communities. This disease had been documented in the province for centuries and while the rest of the world seemed to be comabtting it successfully by the 1920's, the same was not true for Newfoundland. Several reasons have been cited for this but the largest contributing factor was the lack of information and medical help to the rural communities.

It was December 1920 and consumption, the latter stage of TB, had taken hold of young Marjorie now 20 years old. Her death must have been one of true suffering as the certificate states not only did she die of consumption but as a result of the disease, it had infected her bowels. What a terrible death indeed; to waste away.

As a teen when I visited, my grandfather would sometimes quietly retreat to his room sobbing. My grandmother explained that I reminded him of Marjorie and it made him sad thinking of that time so long ago. For him I brought back the memories of what he had lost. She never faded; his heart still ached.

Marjorie and sister Annie Poole

The Devastation of Diphtheria and the Heartbreak of a Mother

Eliza Jane Maidment Poole

Although my grandfather Will Poole was called the oldest child in his family, I had always known that this was not the case.

As I have mentioned in a previous post, Pop was a quiet man and did not like to talk about certain things.  In particular, he did not like to discuss family matters.  Any information I gathered about his family came from my grandmother.

She told me how my grandfather had had an older brother but that he had died as a child.  To be honest, I couldn't remember how old he was or how he had passed away.

So as I was doing the Poole genealogical research at the Provincial Archives, I came across his older brother Ernest's birth record from 1889 and a surprise; the birth record of an older sister.   Her name was Susanna, born in 1887, and I am assuming that she was named for her grandmother Susannah Short Poole.  Now I knew Ernest had died as a child but what had happened to her?

A few years later, I was researching through the Newfoundland Vital Statistics Death Records.  I came across some of the most devastating news I had ever seen.  I had found out the fate of both Susanna and Ernest and so many other little children in Hant's Harbour, Newfoundland.


Susanna died on April 22, 1892 at the tender age of 4 1/2 years.  Four days later, Ernest who was just two months shy of his third birthday also passed away.  They both had succumbed to diphtheria.  As shocking as this revelation was, so too was the fact that between March 24th and the end of April, sixteen of Hant's Harbour's children had died from the disease.  Their ages ranged from 2 months to 19 years.  Seven of them, including Ernest, all died on the same day.

My first thought was how did my grandfather Will, who was just 10 months old, survive?  Did he even get the disease or did he recover from it unlike his older siblings?  Was it because he still had his mother's immune system that he was saved?   I guess we will never know.

How quickly my thoughts turned to my great-grandmother Eliza Jane.  It must have been the most devastating time in her life.  She was experiencing what her relatives, neighbours and friends were: losing their little ones.  Her precious little angels were leaving her forever.  The pain must have been unbearable but how fortunate she was that she still had her littlest baby.  Through all that pain there was a blessing.

While conducting further research, I came across similar instances of children who had died that year as a result of having been afflicted with diphtheria.  There were pockets all across the island; Harbour Main, Twillingate, just about everywhere.  It was obvious that there had been a diphtheria epidemic.

From 1888 to 1891 , 3,183 cases were documented resulting in 624 deaths.  The harrowing experience continued into 1892 but better reporting of the disease by families and the availability of treatments lessened the disease's impact in later years..  Had doctors been given the tools and medication that they needed earlier perhaps Susanna and Ernest would have been spared.

A diphtheria vaccine was introduced in 1924 but oddly, diphtheria still exists in the western world.  Unfortunately, there are parents who choose not to vaccinate their children against many childhood diseases.  If they only knew what it was really like to experience something so painful, so horrible, I wonder if they would change their minds.

Ice and Explosions

Will Poole c. 1916

My grandfather William Edgar Poole was a very quiet man who rarely spoke ill of anyone.  Joey Smallwood would from time to time get the odd chastising (not directly) but from my recollection that would be the extent of it.

That is until my senior high school year.  That was when I was required to read the novel Death on the Ice by Cassie Brown.  It dealt with the sealing disaster of 1914 involving the S.S. Newfoundland and the S. S. Stephano.  Because my grandparents were alive at the time of the disaster, I brought it up to them and relayed what I had read according to Ms. Brown.

There is no doubt that Poppy had his opinions but mostly kept them to himself ..... until I said the name Abram Kean.  And with that I had seen a side of my grandfather I didn't even know existed; an anger that did not hesitate to show.

I was astonished to say the least and asked my grandmother what I had said wrong.  I had done nothing according to her but I had actually unleashed a flood of memories, sadness and pain.  She told me that my grandfather had a berth on the sealing ship as did a friend of his.  He and his buddy (who's name I can not remember unfortunately) had been on the ship when my grandfather had a "bad feeling".  I assume it was that nagging inner voice, that gut instinct that we sometimes have and don't listen to nearly enough.  But that day, thankfully, he did.  He told his friend that he didn't have a good feeling about it all and was going to get off.  Now having a berth on a sealing ship was not an easy thing to obtain and considered quite a prize.  One was certainly a lucky fellow to get that chance!  His friend thought he was crazy to give up his spot but there was no changing my grandfather's mind.  Reluctantly his friend left with him but as years passed, he remained forever thankful to my grandfather

I don't think Pop felt especially lucky.  Perhaps there was a bit of survivor guilt coupled with the contempt he felt towards Abram Kean.  Although charges were never laid, Abram Kean, his son Westbury and the men's leader George Tuft were all found by an inquiry to have displayed errors in judgement.  But to most, including my grandfather, it was Abram Kean who caused the deaths and injuries to those men.  Many of the survivors, their families, friends and the general public wanted an end to Kean's career.  There were calls and protests for him to retire but to no avail.  To add insult to injury, Kean went on to receive the Order of the British Empire in 1934 for bringing in his 1 millionth seal pelt.

It may have been 1979, but to my grandfather no time had passed. 1914 had only been a blink away.

Pop continued with his life on the sea, fishing off the Labrador (where he met my grandmother) and joining the British Merchant Mariners that aided in the war effort.  During  this time, my grandfather was travelling between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia bringing supplies to the ships that were going over to Europe.  It was a time when every role in fighting the devastating war was extremely important.  After all, the previous year saw the Battle of the Somme and the fall of the Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont Hamel.

In 1917, Pop and his fellow mariners were in Halifax on one of their voyages.  It was the 6th of December and they had left Halifax Harbour and were on their way back to St. John's.  Shortly after their departure, they felt the explosion and immediately were made aware of what took place.  The result hit him hard; the thousands who died and even more injured.  What we all know as The Halifax Explosion was his second brush with death.

In 1918 as the Great War was coming to an end, he left the Merchant Marines and returned to Labrador to marry his sweetheart.  As a first mate, he was exemplary in his duties.  So much so, he was asked to stay as they wanted him to work towards becoming a Captain.  He chose a different path; to live quietly, on the Labrador with the woman he loved.

My grandfather, Will Poole was born on this date in 1891.  He lived to be 90 years old.

Pop circa 1971 (photo: Loretta Poole)

Alice Maud Salter Poole

Alice Maud Salter Poole

This site is dedicated to my grandmother, Alice Maud Salter Poole.  She was the oral historian in my life.  Had it not been for her, most of my family history on my maternal side would not have been passed along.

As so many who are searching for their ancestors in Newfoundland and Labrador as well as the Lower North Shore of Quebec have discovered, recorded evidence is sometimes difficult to come by.  If there is only one piece of advice I can give anyone discovering their family history it is make sure you get every story from your elders that you can AND write them down.  That is the one important lesson I have learned through my 30+ year journey and I know it will continue to be valuable to me onward.

Thank you Grammie for all your wonderful stories.  I love you, I miss you and I'll be forever indebted to you.  X/O