| Notes |
- The following was written by James Henry Moore, elder son of Edith (Fern) Moore.
"My mother, Edith Moore (nee Fern), was the youngest child of Henry Fern, Packing Case Maker, born June 23, 1857, Hulme Charlton, Manchester, England and Ellen Downes, born December 10, 1859, Louth, Lincolnshire, England, with four sisters and three bothers. Henry and Ellen were married March 27, 1880 and their first child, Margaret, was born February 8, 1881.
"My mother was born April 9, 1896 and her mother, Ellen, died March 25, 1902 in Bolton, Lancashire when my mother was five years old. Her father did not remarry and continued to live in Bolton, Lancashire until his death in 1937. In Lancashire it was customary for girls to go into the textile mills to work at an early age (10 - 12) and my mother's sisters were already working when their mother died.
"School started at age three and my mother, who was five, and her brother George, who was eight, were students at the time of their mother's death so that none of the familty were at home on a continuous basis requiring constant supervision. At the time of their mother's death, the two older sisters, Clara at 20 and Margaret at 21 years of age, took over her responsibilities in the home and gave guidance and protection to the younger children. And when they married a few years later, they continued to shoulder the responsibility for their "baby sister" with help from Beatrice and Emma who were then also old enough to provide the necessary assistance and guidance to their "baby sister."
"In Lancashire, in the decade before World War I (which started in 1914), there was a definite trend towards emigration to Canada and this family was no exception. Although Henry, the father, stayed behind in Bolton, by the time war was declared the entire family had relocated to the east end of Hamilton, although brother Jim was soon to move to Arizona and susequently to Los Angeles and, some time later, Beatrice and Emma were to relocate in San Francisco.
"During the war years (1914 - 1918), my mother was at the stage of her life when girls normally had an active social life and she was no exception. She was active in the Y.W.C.A. and excelled in gymnastics. She was active in volunteer work with the Red Cross and, in 1917, at the age of 21, she was made a Life Member of the Canadian Red Cross Society for her efforts in raising money.
"At that time, she was working at the Hamilton Westinghouse plant testing gas meters. When she first arrived from England, she worked in the knitting mills which was the most logical occupation for an immigrant from Lancashire, the centre of the English textile industry.
"She had a boyfriend who went away to the war and did not come back.
"In 1918, she decided to visit her brother Jim who was in Arizona prospecting for gold. While she travelled by train for most of the trip, she finsihed up travelling by stage coach to reach her destination. She spent some time there and then moved with him to Los Angeles before deciding to return to the Hamilton area.
"She met my father in 1919 and they were married May 12, 1920. They celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1970 with many good wishes including a telegram from Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
"My mother was a very outgoing, social person. During the early days of her marriage, while she lived in Mount Hamilton, she was an active member of the Mount Hamilton United Church and Ladies Auxiliary. She was also a hard worker in the Ladies Institute in that area. After relocating at 40 Stirton Street in Hamilton, she transferred her activities to St. Giles United Church where she was, again, very active in the Ladies Auxiliary.
"In 1979, she was formally recognized for 62 years of volunteer service when she received her second citation from the Red Cross.
"During her lifetime, she enjoyed music and played both violin and piano, although she was more accomplished as a pianist. Even during the closing years of her life, she retained the ability to play for others.
"After my father died in 1972, she remained a widow, living alone in her apartment on Balmoral Avenue at the Delta, except for a few years when she was joined by her sister, Beatrice, who died February 2, 1981. Eventually, it was necessary for her to move into St. Joseph's Villa, Dundas, in June, 1984, where supervisory care was available.
"Edith Moore died October 21, 1990 in her 95th year from congestive heart failure."
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1896 - 1990 (94 years)
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