Mary Anne Whelan was born on August 18, 1889, in Hungerford, Ontario, Canada, father, Daniel Whalen (1863-1938), was 26, and her mother, Bridget (nee Phillips) (1872-1901), was 17. Mary Anne was an only child. (**note re spelling of last name: appears that Mary Anne's father, although born Daniel Whalen, took to spelling it "Whelan", as did Mary Anne).
Mary Anne married
Clayton Loucks on January 12, 1914.
Clayton Loucks was born on June 9, 1886, when his father,
William Loucks (1843-1914), was 43 and his mother,
Victoria (nee Wagar) (1853-1907), was 33.
 |
| Clayton Loucks |
Mary Anne and Clayton had three children:
- Clayton William Loucks Jr. (July 8, 1914-April 1987)
- Mary Kathleen Loucks (February 1916-August 1916)
- Donald Loucks (February 23, 1917-1985)
The fact that the couple was married in January and
Clayton William Loucks Jr. was born on July 8, 1914 (less than seven months later) suggests that it may not have been a white wedding. No record of his birth has been located.
Mary Kathleen Loucks, the couple's only daughter, is born in February 1916. As with her older brother,
Mary Kathleen's birth is not recorded. As she died less than six months later on August 16, 1916, of
cholera, her exact birth date is unknown. At the time of her death the family is living in Desorento, Ontario, likely because it was close to family. Her burial location is also unknown.
In 1921, the couple are living at
673 Brock Avenue in Toronto.
Clayton Sr. (34), is a lineman.
Mary Anne (30) is at home with
Donald (3) and
Clayton Jr. (6) is at school.
Clayton Jr. out front of Brock Avenue home
 |
| Clayton Jr. and Donald |
Shortly after the census, on July 18, 1921, Mary Anne was widowed. Clayton Sr., who was an electrician by trade was electrocuted.
 |
| Death Record, Clayton Loucks |
Mary Anne, widowed with two young children, remarried quickly, on September 26, 1922, to
Frederick Samuel Gardiner at St. Anthony's Church in Toronto
. Her daughter suggests the couple was introduced by
Frederick's aunt
Winnifred Stevens who, like
Mary Anne, was living in Toronto.
Frederick Samuel Gardiner was born on December 31, 1886, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, his father,
Samuel Gardiner (1859-1914), was 27 and his mother,
Teresa (nee Stevens) (1861-1921), was 25.
He had one brother and seven sisters.
 |
| Marriage Certificate, Frederick and Mary Gardiner (image via Ancestry.com) |
While
Mary Anne continued to own (and rent out) the home on Brock Street, she moved with her sons to
Frederick's family home at
446 Herkimer Street in Hamilton. Her daughter recalls helping her mother to prepare the cheque for the mortgage. (
Mary Anne's address is listed at
42 Smith Avenue.)
The couple lived in Hamilton, Ontario, where
Mary Anne had six more children with
Frederick:
- Unnamed Baby Girl Gardiner (stillborn July 29, 1923)
- Frederick Douglas (Doug) Gardiner (1924-2005) married Sylvia Gwendolyn Bridgehouse (1923-2015)
- Mary Pauline Gardiner (1929-1976)
- Charles (Charlie) Gardiner (1931- bef. 1985)
- Unnamed Baby Boy Gardiner (stillborn November 10, 1932)
- Name withheld (still living)
The couple's first child, a baby girl, is stillborn prematurely on July 29, 1923. The birth is not registered and the death certificate does not list a name. She's laid to rest in
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery on August 6th. The family is still living on Herkimer Street.
Frederick Douglas Gardiner is born the following year on August 17, 1924.
Mary Pauline Gardiner is born on September 2, 1929.
Charles (Charlie) Gardiner is born in 1931.
The couple's final child, a son, is stillborn prematurely just like their first on November 10, 1932. The birth is not recorded, and again, the death certificate does not list a name. The certificate suggests that
Mary Ann was only six months pregnant. He's also laid to rest in
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, on November 12th. The family is still living on Herkimer Street.
 |
Clayton and Donald with their mother outside 446 Herkimer
(likely around the time of the marriage) |
 |
| Mary Anne (Whalen) Gardiner |
 |
| Clayton and Donald Loucks, Frederick Douglas (Doug) and Jean Gardiner |
 |
Mary Anne, Frederick ("Pops") Gardiner and
their two eldest children |
 |
| Frederick ("Pops") Gardiner with his daughter |
A border crossing record dated December 13, 1940, shows that Frederick, his brother Charles and his mother's sister Winnifred crossed into Niagara Falls, New York to visit his sister Amy Gardiner in the hospital.
 |
| Border Crossing, Frederick Gardiner, December 1940 (image via Ancestry.com) |
Mary Anne died on October 11, 1957 at the age of 68. Her obituary reads: "
Mrs. Frederick Gardiner, the former Mary Ann Whalen, of 446 Herkimer Street, died in St. Joseph's Hospital yesterday. Born in Reid, Ont., she had been a resident of Hamilton for the last 35 years. Mrs. Gardiner was a member of St. Joseph's Church. Surviving besides her husband are four sons, Clayton Lucks (sic) of Hamilton, Donald Lucks (sic) of Niagara Falls, and Douglas and Charles Gardiner both of Hamilton; two daughters, Sister Mary Regina of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, Hamilton, and Mrs. John McPhail of Hamilton. The body is at the P.X. Dermody Funeral Home for funeral on Tuesday morning at 8:30 o'clock to St. Joseph's Church for Requiem Mass at 9 o'clock. Burial will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery."
Frederick died of heart failure in 1964 at the age of 78. The couple are buried in
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Section 3. The stone reads "GARDINER / Mary Anne / WHALEN 1889-1957 / wife of / Frederick S. / GARDINER / 1886-1964."
Clayton Loucks Jr. was struck with polio and epilepsy at about age 7. He never married and spent much of his adult life in hospital. He died on April 6, 1987, and is also interred at
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Comments
Post a Comment
Are we related? Tell me how!!