I was born MARTHA ELLEN CASTLE. That’s me but where did I come from?

I had to call my sister, Marilyn, to find out details on our grandparents. I grew up knowing only one out of four of them. You’ll find out why.

Grandmother - Winnifred Hollister (1898 - 1922)

Grandfather - Pliny John Fetterly (1897 - 1970)

Grandmother - Margaret Ellen Pattendon (1891 - 1977)

Grandfather - Stanley Charles Castle (1889 - 1964)

I’ll begin with my mom’s side of the family. As I’ve stated before, my mom’s mom died when she was but two years old. My aunt was eight months old. My grandfather was shell shocked. He had returned from the first world war in 1918. He married my grandmother in 1919. Their first child was born in 1920. Their second child was born in 1921. His wife would die from complications from a miscarriage in 1922.

I don’t know much about Winnifred but I do know more about her parents, because they were the ones who raised my Mom. Harry Lindsay Hollister (May 23, 1875 - January 3, 1941) worked at the paper mill. My Mom fondly recalls that on Saturday afternoons - when she was a child - Harry would walk downtown with a girl on each side - and they would enjoy a treat at Woolworths. Mom remembers putting her hand in her grandfather’s hand - and feeling warm and secure and loved. Harry died of TB.

Lula Maude Wilbur (August 27, 1876 - July 1954) was my mother’s grandmother. Lula and Harry had three children - Winnifred (my grandmother), Frank and Emma. Winnifred - as you have learned - died in 1922 and Frank died in 1924 from TB. Only Emma lived into her later adult years. How heartbreaking for my great grandmother.

Lula’s father and mother - Frank Wilbur and Eva Washburn - built the homestead at 13 Elm Street in 1880. Elm Street would house several generations over the years. It had 7 bedrooms, a huge kitchen, a dining room, “parlour” and den and 2 apartments on the back of the house. Lula lived at 13 Elm all her life. It is from the Wilbur/Hollister side of the family where our Christian heritage comes from. Some members of the family were the charter members of First Baptist church - Cornwall.

An interesting side note about 13 Elm. The spool bed. This beautiful bed was also built by Frank Wilbur. It had spools in each corner of the bed and they were four or five feet high. It was a three quarter size bed and many generations of the family slept in that bed. I inherited it when I was about seven years old. By then, the spools were chopped down to only 6 - 8 inches high. I could only imagine the grandeur of the bed with 5 foot spools. Such intricate carving. When I was a young girl I would twist those spools and loved the squeaky noises they made. My grand daughter, Tali, has the bed now. She is the 6th generation to sleep in that bed. Amazing.

Still on my mother’s side - this is a fascinating fact that I learned from my sister. We can date our family history back to the early to mid 1700’s. Mom always said she was part of the United Empire Loyalists and she was right. This is what I found out.

William Morgan (1752-1836) was the husband of Anne Wadsworth Morgan (1755 - 1824). Anne’s father was Lord John Wadsworth (1730 -1776). (I always knew I came from royalty!) Back to William! William was high up in the 5th Royal Irish Dragoons of the British Army and he volunteered to come to America to fight the war of 1776/77. Anne and their firstborn, a son, accompanied him, first to Canada, and then he would go to America to lead his men in the fight for the United Empire. William was injured and taken prisoner before he was returned to Quebec in 1784. The British government gave them land to settle in along the St. Lawrence, first - near Sorrel, Quebec and later near Osnabrook. In 1816 he was awarded membership into the United Empire Loyalists - for himself and his descendants - that includes me. History also tells us that he was the Justice of the Peace in Osnabrook, Ontario. William and Anne were the parents of at least 8 sons and 2 daughters. Perhaps that’s where Gramma Alice got the gene to have a large family herself! Anne died on September 9, 1824, in Osnabrook, and was buried at Upper Canada Village. So there you go. Next time I go to Upper Canada Village, I intend to look up her grave.

More about Pliny. Pliny John Fetterly was born in Chesterville, Ontario and was the son of Adam C Fetterly (a teacher) and Mary Ann Casselman. Grandpa Pliny was a veteran of the first world war, regimental no. 410946, a private of the 59th Battalion. He landed in France on August 13, 1916 and he was wounded on or about September 2, 1918. After Winnifred died in 1922, Pliny signed his two girls over to their maternal grandparents and left Cornwall. He went on to marry a woman named Gladys and have a second family with her. I only remember meeting him once before he died in 1970.

Stanley Charles Castle (October 13, 1889 - April 7, 1964). Grandpa Castle was born in a very poor part of London, England - Claphan Junction. He came to Canada in 1908 and his first job was a chef on the railroad. Some say he was the black sheep of his family. It would take a certain woman (Margaret Ellen Pattendon) to settle him down. Grandpa became quite a renowned chef through his life and even cooked for Queen Elizabeth at the opening of the Seaway in 1958, the year I was born. I wonder if there was a food tester. They had their own restaurant in Cornwall and it was on Second Street - Castle’s Family Restaurant. I was only six when Grandpa died. My only memories of him are that he was a small, quiet man. I don’t ever remember having any conversations with him - playing any games with him - nothing. That makes me sad!

About Margaret. Grandma Castle is the only one of the four I ever really knew. I loved her. She was loud. She was boisterous. She was outgoing. She played the piano and organ with gusto. She sang with a great vibrato - loud. She still had her English accent. Gramma was born at 62 Thrush Street in London England on December 6, 1891. I don’t know when her family came to Canada. I don’t know how and when she met Grandpa but they went on to have five sons and two daughters. Because I was a singer and a piano player, Gramma and I had a lot in common and we spent a lot of time, singing and playing together. She sang hymns and British songs and I loved it. When I was around ten years old, I was at her apartment and her wall clocked chimed out the hour. She looked at me very seriously and said - “we’re one hour closer to eternity!” Gramma was concerned about spiritual things. When I was in Junior high school (grade 7 and 8) - I often went and had lunch with her - about once every two weeks. I remember talking about her favourite scripture passages and her favourite hymns. When I was 13, Gramma had a stroke and spent the last 6 years of her life being cared for in a Senior’s Home. I visited her often. I was home from college in the summer of 1977 and was sitting at the kitchen table having breakfast with my Dad when he got the call that she had passed away. It was July 12, 1977 - Gramma was 86 years old. I loved her. I felt close to her. My middle name is Ellen - the same as hers. I knew she loved me. I was 19.

Perhaps the reason I love being a grandmother so much, the reason I love spending time with my grandchildren, the reason I love sending parcels in the mail, having them come for overnight visits, taking them on special outings, is because that wasn’t ever my experience. Someday, when I’m gone I hope and pray, my grandchildren, when asked this question - describe your Grammie - they’ll know exactly what to say.