Our Bailey Heritage
Part 4
16 EDWARD LOUIS SPARKS
Edward Louis Sparks was a younger brother to our Sarah Jane Sparks but
he played an important part in her life and was the one responsible for
bringing her to Canada, and later, to San Jose, California. We have
recently made contact with one of his Grandsons, John Sparks, in Taber,
Alberta, Canada and would like to add some of Edward's history into this
volume.
Edward was born 30 Jan. 1878, in Wick Leominster, Sussex County. This
is just north of Littlehampton. In England he was apprenticed for eight
years, to learn to make cabinets and he became an excellent craftsman. In
1889, at 21 years of age, he married Agnes Eliza Hatcher in Worthing and
their first four children were born there:
Beatrice Agnes 29 Jan 1900 Worthing
Edward Charles William 8 Jul 1901 Worthing
Fredrick Albert Victor 8 Jul 1902 Worthing
Wilfred Louis John 29 Sep 1905 Worthing
Edward, the father (who usually went by the name of "Ted") came to
Canada early in 1905. It seems he probably left England before they knew
their fourth child was on the way. Wilfred was born after Edward was in
Canada.
"Uncle Ted" first went to Fernie in Southeast British Columbia but he didn't
care for it there so he moved to Taber, Alberta. He worked as a carpenter
and cabinet maker to earn enough money to bring his family to Canada. It
took him almost two years to earn the passage money required. In 1906,
Agnes boarded a ship in Liverpool with her four young children and sailed
for Halifax, Nova Scotia. During this voyage, young Wilfred, who had not
yet seen his father, celebrated his first birthday. From Halifax, the family
rode the train for a week to reach Taber. One can imagine the joy and
excitement of being reunited with their husband and father in their new
home.
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Edward continued in his trade in Taber, where he worked on the old Central
School, the Taber Court House, White Lunch Cafe (next to the Cameo) and
many of the older homes in Taber. He was also carpenter for the Great
Northwest Mines. The pulpit and alter of the Taber Anglican Church was
made by him. He also made the big display case with all the glass
compartments for J.K. How Grocery store.
On 1 Aug. 1908, Edward and Agnes were blessed with another child, whom
they named: Lillian Florence Sparks, after her cousin, Lillian Florence
Bailey, daughter of Sarah Jane Sparks Bailey, back in England.
On 5 Jan. 1911, after just four years in Canada, Herbert Henry Sparks was
born to this family in Taber, Alberta. There were complications from the
birth and Edward's wife, Agnes, died five days later, on 10 Jan. 1911. She
was buried in Taber. Edward was very devoted to his wife and never
remarried.
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Edward and Agnes had some very close friends, the Hogarth family.
When Agnes died, these friends offered to take the baby and raise it as their
own. This was almost agreed to but then Edward decided against it feeling
he wanted to keep his family together. Just over a year after his wife's
death, this baby, Herbert, also passed away due to meningitis.
It was at about this time that Edward came up with the idea of asking his
sister, Sarah Jane Sparks Bailey, to come to Canada to help him raise his
family. She was a nurse and was struggling back in England with raising
her four young children alone. Sometime between 1910-12 Sarah brought
her family to Taber where Edward made her feel at home.
"Edward was a true Englishman--the supreme head of the family and his
word was law! They had a very typical English home with tea, etc. right on
schedule. The girls always were in dresses with big bows and ruffles and
big bows in their hair. Agnes was tiny and a quiet woman and he was stern
and domineering."
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In 1923 Uncle Ted took a job in Shelby, Montana where he and his son,
Edward, helped build an outdoor arena for the Dempsey-Gibbons fight.
When that job was completed, Uncle Ted moved to San Jose, California,
where he arrived on 5 July 1923. His four older children were pretty well
grown and spent most of their lives in Alberta. His youngest daughter,
Lillian, accompanied him to San Jose. She never married and spent the
rest of her life with her father.
During the Great Depression, Edward again invited his sister, Sarah Bailey,
to come and join him in his warm home in San Jose. By then her children
were married and on their own. Sarah was living there when she passed
away in 1933. The following spring, Ted's daughter, Lillian, died on 9 Mar.
1934. She was only 26 years old at her passing. Edward remained in his
San Jose home but only for about two more years. He died there on 4 Jan.
1936 at age 58.
We don't know if Edward's brother, John Sparks, ever moved to North
America. We don't even know the name of John's wife. They are pictured
together in San Jose, CA so they must have at least come for a visit.
[Note: The photos and information for this chapter were submitted by John
and Patsy Sparks. John is the son of Wilfred Louis John Sparks and Ella
Adean Barton. He and his wife, Patsy, live in Taber, Alberta. We are very
grateful to them for sharing their information with us for this book.]
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17 SARAH JANE SPARKS BAILEY
Sarah Jane Sparks, was born on 6 July 1866 in Southwick, Sussex County.
The following month, she was taken to the local parish of the Church of
England where she was christened and named after her Grandmother,
Sarah Jane Nash Sparks.
Her family remained in Southwick until Sarah was about eight years old.
Sometime around 1874, her Father, who was a blacksmith, took a job in
London and moved his family there. This was not to be a permanent home
but they staid long enough to have another child there.
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When they tired of the cramped city life of London, as described in the
Charles Dickens's stories, they again moved in about 1876-7, to the Sussex
coast. This time they settled at Littlehampton, on the mouth of the Arun
River. Sarah was about ten when the family moved to this picturesque
town.
Anciently, Littlehampton was a busy port carrying passengers from England
to Normandy. It was also an export harbor of English timber that was sold
on the continent. Today it is a popular yachting center and family resort.
All the towns in a ten mile stretch from Littlehampton to Worthing have now
merged into a single development of coastal get-a-ways.
Here too, the family stayed for only a couple years before moving again,
about 1879. This time however, they moved just a short distance north,
to the town of Wick in Lyminster parish. Sarah Jane was about 13 years
old when the family made this last move. She seems to have already had
a job as a domestic servant in a lodging-house and remained behind when
her family moved on. After they located in Wick, their youngest known child,
Ethel, was born. Sarah would have grown up with her sister, Henrietta Maria,
who was just one and a half years her senior. We're not sure what became
of this older sibling but Ethel was Sarah's only other sister. Having already
established herself in a working career away from home, Sarah would hardly
have known her younger sister.
In the 1881 census, Sarah was listed as a "Domestic Servant" in the
lodging-house owned by Samuel and Ruth Smith, back in Littlehampton, at
#9 Western R.C. The rest of the family was then living in Wick, Lyminster
parish, about three miles to the northwest. No doubt they still had many
opportunities to visit each other after working hours or on holidays.
Throughout the years, as Sarah was growing up, her family kept in touch
with her Father's sister, Ruth Sparks Bailey. They had been both friends
and family and had kept close in Chidham and in Portsmouth before Sarah
was even born. We're not sure where the Bailey family went after both
families left Portsmouth but they too may have come to the Sussex coast
line and may not have been too far away as Sarah grew up.
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It seems that Sarah felt a closeness to this family and especially to their son,
Joseph Bailey. The photograph that we have of them was taken in 1888 in
Littlehampton. At that time, Sarah was 22 years old and Joseph Bailey
was 20.
The photograph (shown on page 55) was probably taken to celebrate this
couple's engagement to be married. Joseph had taken a job as a railroad
conductor and was living at 30 Gideon Road in Battersea parish, Surrey
County, near London. About six months after this photo was taken, Sarah
traveled to London where she and Joseph were married in the "Church of
the Ascension" in Battersea parish. Battersea is a small suburb of London
across the Thames River to the south of Westminster.
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Although Sarah Jane Sparks and Joseph Bailey were first cousins to each
other, that doesn't seem to have been an obstacle in their marriage plans.
In those days, only royalty was prohibited from marrying close relatives.
After the wedding, this couple continued to live in the London area. Their
first child, Joseph Reginald Bailey, was born on the 23rd of Nov. 1889 in
Kentish Town, London.
Two years later, on 11 Sep. 1891, their second child, Fredrick William
Bailey, was born at Malden Road, London.
At about that time, Joseph took the opportunity to change jobs. He
became a steward on board a steamship that sailed from London to
Southampton to Liverpool and back. Sometime about 1894-5 the family
moved to Woolston, a suburb just across the river to the east of
Southampton. It was while they were living in Woolston, that the last two
children were born to this family:
Leonard Harold Bailey 29 Dec 1893
* Lillian Florence Bailey 27 Feb 1896
We now have two different stories as to what happened next in the family.
The children of Lillian understood that her Father, Joseph Bailey, died at
sea when his ship sank sometime around the turn of the century.
However, the descendants of her brother, Leonard Bailey, had their
Mother's old family Bible, in which, presumably Sarah wrote that Joseph
died in New York Harbor in 1917. By that date, Lillian would have been 21
years old. If the latter story is correct, then it appears that Joseph and
Sarah did not remain together as husband and wife. The four children,
particularly Lillian, had little recollection of their Father.
As a young girl, Sarah had earned her own living as a domestic servant,
cleaning the homes of others. Now again, as a grown woman, she found
herself responsible to earn a living that would support herself and her four
children. Sarah was a nurse. Most of her jobs expected long hours of
service and provided her with a room at her place of employment but there
was no room for her children. Sarah worked all week and only had her
weekends to come home and visit her young children.
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In this environment, the four young children learned to take care of
themselves. There was no parent at home throughout the week to give
them either discipline or love. The tired Sarah would have to do that as
best she could on weekends.
This kind of family life was difficult on all of them and yet they remained very
close to one another. Sarah looked for an opportunity to improve her
situation. She had a younger brother, Edward "Ted" who had emigrated to
Canada about 1905. Shortly after his arrival in Taber, Alberta, Edward and
his wife had another daughter born on 1 Aug. 1908. This little girl was
given the name of "Lillian Florence Sparks" after his niece who was then
just 12 years old. This may give some indication of the love Edward felt
towards his sister, Sarah.
Edward wrote back to Sarah of the opportunities in Alberta where he was
making a good living for himself. With Sarah's children now mostly grown
and with jobs of their own, they were able to save the passage money
necessary to make the journey.
Sarah and her three youngest children made the trip sometime around
1910-11. Reg followed in 1912. By that time, her children ranged in age
from Reginald in his early twenties, to Lillian in her mid-teens and Sarah
Jane was in her late forties. It must have been summer when they arrived
in Taber, Alberta, Canada as they determined to stay there and make it their
new home.
World War I began in 1914 and Sarah watched her youngest son, Leonard,
go off to fight in France at the age of 20. Three years later, when the war
ended, Leonard went back to Sussex County where he married Edith
Evelyn Stanford on 24 Dec. 1917 in Worthing, England. He was the first to
marry but only by a few months. Lillian was married to Albert Raymond
Morton on 9 Apr. 1918 in Taber, Alberta. The following year, Fred married
Gertrude Mae Stanthorpe on 22 Feb. 1919 and Reginald, the oldest, was
married last, the following year to Mary Roberts, on 21 July 1920.
With her children grown and starting families of their own, Sarah could
finally relax a bit. Her brother, Edward, had again moved to San Jose,
California, where the winters were milder. He asked Sarah to come and
join him there. Edward's wife had died in childbirth with their sixth baby in
1911 in Taber. One of his daughters was living with him in San Jose but
there was still room in this generous man's heart for his sister.
Sarah spent her last couple of years in San Jose, California where she died
on 11 July 1933. Her body was brought back to Alberta, where her
children lived. She was buried in Lethbridge on 15 July 1933. Her
brother, Edward, remained in San Jose, where he died on 4 Jan. 1936.
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18 JOSEPH REGINALD BAILEY
Uncle "Reg" was born in London on 23 Nov. 1889. He spent his first three
years there before the family moved to Southampton in Hampshire County.
As the oldest in the family, much of the burden of watching out for his
younger brothers and sister, fell on his shoulders. We are much in debted
to Reginald for being something of a father figure to his younger brothers
and sister.
He was about 22 years old when he came to Canada. It would have been
difficult for him, and for all of the children, to leave their friends behind,
knowing they would never see them again.
Reg's daughter, Margaret Bailey Thompson provided the following
historical sketch:
Joseph Reginald Bailey, known as "Reg" throughout his life, was the
eldest son of Joseph Bailey and Sarah Jane Sparks Bailey. He
spent his youth at school and work near Worthing and Brighton in
southern England. He left England on March 23, 1912 on S.S.
Canada to join his Mother, Len, Fred and Lilly and his Uncle Edward
Sparks in Taber, Alberta, Canada. He arrived in Taber on Easter
Sunday April 8, 1912 and was met by Len and Fred at the train
station.
He married Mary Roberts in Taber on July 21, 1920 and they had
one daughter, Margaret. They moved to Lethbridge in 1924 where
he was manager of the Hudson Bay Groceteria. He remained in the
grocery business until he retired.
Reg was a family man and had a great love for his brothers and
sister. He enjoyed acting from a young age and followed the theatre
throughout his life. Reg got great reviews for his work in Lethbridge
Playgoers. He was active in Southminster United Church as a choir
member, Elder and as an actor in religious plays. Because of his
love of acting he played Santa at the Hudson Bay store, at church
and for the Welch Society for many years. Reg and Mary moved to
Edmonton in 1957 to be near Margaret and her family.
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Reg was the last of Sarah's children to marry. He and Mary had only one
child, a daughter, Margaret Sadie Bailey, born 16 Dec. 1921 at Taber.
Margaret married Clarence Ernest Thompson on 16 Sep. 1946 at
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
Reg died on 18 Dec. 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta. His wife, Mary, died on 3
Aug. 1969, also in Edmonton.
19 FREDRICK WILLIAM BAILEY
Uncle Fred was born in London on 11 Sep. 1891. The family had recently
moved to a new residence on Malden Road, in the northwest part of the city.
He was just a baby when the family moved to Southampton in Hampshire
County. Fred was about twenty when he came to Canada with his Mother,
brother Len and sister Lillian.
All four of Sarah Sparks Bailey's children had a lot of life in them. While
they may not have shown a great deal of outward affection they were still
very close to one another. From their infancy they had looked out for one
another and thereby established a pattern that continued through much of
their lives.
This protective nature was demonstrated when Fred became seriously
interested in a young woman named Gertrude Stanthorpe. "Gert", as she
was called, was a beautiful woman and Fred couldn't help but be attracted
to her. However, his family was very protective of him and they decided he
needed a little time to think things over before getting too involved.
Consequently, they picked up Gert and took her to the train depot where
they bought her a one way ticket out of town. One wonders today, how
someone could get away with "sending someone away" contrary to their
wishes but back then, things were a little different.
Fred may have realized there was no use arguing with his family on this
matter, their minds were made up. But, he was pretty clever himself. As
they were putting Gert on the train, Fred was secretly standing on the
opposite side of the tracks and he boarded the same car. As the family
road home, pleased with their successful accomplishment, Fred and Gert
were on their way out of town together. They eloped and had their
honeymoon at the partial expense of his family.
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Fred married Gertrude Mae Stanthorpe on 22 Feb. 1919. When they
returned, everyone was good to recognize that what was done was done
and they all became very close to Gert as their new sister.
Fred and Gert had only one child, a daughter, Florence Bailey, born 1 Nov.
1923 in Taber, Alberta. Florence married Merl K. Brehmer about 1944.
For most of their life, Fred and Gert made their home in Medicine Hat,
Alberta. They enjoyed playing cards and visiting with family. Their niece,
Irene Morton McDonald and her husband Don, related this story:
"Fred and Gert Bailey were a fun loving couple that were great to be around.
They didn't always arrive in Portland when expected. On one trip they
stopped at as many taverns as they could find between Medicine Hat,
Alberta and Portland. They didn't arrive drunk, just happy.
"Ray and Lill were especially fond of them and gave one the impression that
the two couples, in their younger days, had many good times together.
They used to come over and play cards with us when they were in town.
We played a game called '7 up and 7 down' with pennies. Gert would play
with a roll-your-own cigarette dangling out of the corner of her mouth and it
was hard to play cards and wonder when the lighted end was going to fall on
the table. When you had lost all your pennies, Gert made you play one
more hand 'on your ass' as she put it, to see if you couldn't continue.
"We took a vacation in Canada in 1970, pulling a small trailer and visiting
parks and Canadian camp grounds. When we got to Medicine Hat we
stayed a couple days with Fred and Gert. They were great hosts, showing
us the sights, playing cards and introducing us to playing darts English
fashion. That was the last time we saw them but their memories live on in
how kind they were to us."
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20 LEONARD HAROLD BAILEY
Leonard was born 29 Dec. 1893 in Woolston, a suburb of Southampton,
England. He was about seventeen when the family came to Canada. It
wasn't long however, before World War I broke out and Len was shipped
overseas to fight in France. Judging from the name of his first son, Len
probably saw a lot of action in the famous battle of Ypres, in northwest
Belgium. It was in that battle that mustard gas was used on the allied
soldiers with such terrible affects.
After the War, Len stopped in England to visit family and friends before
returning home. At that time he married Edith Evelyn Stanford on 24 Dec.
1917 in Worthing, Sussex, England.
Len and Edith returned to Canada to begin their life together in Taber,
Alberta. Here, their first three children were born:
Leonard Ypres Stanford Bailey 23 Aug 1919
Dennis Edward Harold Bailey 17 Dec 1920
Bernard Lewis Reginald Bailey 25 Aug 1922
The family then moved to Coalhurst, Alberta, where the next two children
were born:
Frederick William Joseph Bailey 26 Nov 1930
a baby girl who died at birth 1931
The family then moved again. This time to Lethbridge where their last child
was born:
Douglas Lawrence Bailey 15 May 1933
This child was only a couple months old when Len's Mother, Sarah Jane
Sparks Bailey, died in California. Len was then living in Lethbridge and
she was brought there for burial.
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Len's son, Bernard Bailey, and his daughter, Darla Bailey Lucas, related the
following:
"Leonard Harold Bailey lived in a time when there wasn't 5 cents to rub
together. So for entertainment they made their own golf course on the
prairie consisting of nine holes. He loved golf. They had one golf club
and used it for everything.
"He worked in the coal mines at Taber, Diamond City, Coalhurst and
Lethbridge. {Darla adds this description of the type of work Len did in the
mines: The 'room and pillar' method of mining, designed for mountainous
regions was used. The miners divided the coal seam into large blocks by
digging a series of tunnels about fifty to sixty feet apart called 'rooms'. The
large blocks of coal that remained between the rooms were pillars, left to
support the overlying rock. When the mine had progressed to the limits of
its coal seam or property, the miners began to work backwards, or retreat,
extracting as much coal as possible from the pillars while allowing the roof
to cave in behind them. In the early days, miners used picks and an
explosive they called coal powder to remove coal from the face. There
were dangers associated with using explosives in the gaseous and dusty
environment underground as even a small spark could ignite a massive
explosion. By the late 1920's, the pick and coal powder were replaced by
compressed air picks.} Coal mining was a hard life and work in poor
conditions and long hours, so I guess he worked hard and slept little, with
not much time for anything else.
"In 1940, to get out of the coal mines, he "guarded" in Lethbridge and was
the war prisoner's guard until the war ended. Then he became the
custodian for the Lethbridge Post Office.
"He sang in the choir at St. Agustine's Church. They lived on the edge of
the prairie in Lethbridge. He had a wood-coal stove, no running water or
in-door plumbing or gas.
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"They had family gatherings with dinner and cards, every Sunday after the
kids grew up and married. We always had a happy home with laughter.
"I'd like to mention that at the time (they lived in England) there was much
advertising about Canada and a new life, get rich and fertile land. They
were brave and courageous to leave their homeland and start a great new
life. Only it wasn't that way. They were pioneers and had to start from
scratch working hard and finding anything they could to make a living and
very poor.
"My Dad (Len) also said his Mother (Sarah Sparks) came to live in Taber
and that he never mentioned his Dad. So maybe they split up or he left
them?? I don't know; that's speculation."
Don McDonald, a nephew-in-law, shared this memory of Len:
"I met Len and Edie for the first time when our family took a vacation while I
was working at Davis Dam, Arizona. We stopped in Walla Walla to spend
a couple days with Irene's parents. Len and Edie were visiting from
Lethbridge and were a delightful couple. I remember especially the way
the two of them sang. Edie had a powerful voice that really rattled the
windows and when the two of them sang harmony it was beautiful. We sat
around and told jokes and sang and went to bed with sore stomach muscles
from laughing so much.
"Irene told me one time that when their parents took them to see Len and
Edie that Edie always baked a lot of bread and fed all the kids bread, butter
and jelly that was very good.
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"After Edie passed on, Len was a very welcome visitor. He usually stayed
with Irene's parents and we got together for a number of fun visits. On one
trip to Portland, Len pulled off the freeway in the Hollywood District and
didn't know how to find Ray and Lill's place so he took a taxi. This was
about 10:00 PM and worked well in getting Len to his destination. The only
problem was that the next morning Len had no idea where he left his car.
So the next morning we took all the freeway exits, starting with Troutdale,
looking for a car with an Alberta license plate. We eventually found it and
had a good laugh about the whole thing.
"Len had a beautiful relationship with kids. He and I took our five kids to
the circus and also four of the neighbor kids. I took a picture of us and
found later that the neighbor kids were all sitting next to Len and the
McDonald kids were sitting on the outside. It was a good example of how
kids were attracted to this very lovable and caring person. We all loved
him and still miss him."
Another nephew-in-law, Russell Donaldson, wrote the following:
"I had the pleasure of being around 'Uncle Len' on two different occasions.
In those two short periods of time I was able to formulate my opinion of that
fine man. I don't believe the Good Lord ever made a more decent person.
"I saw in Len a kind, honest, compassionate human being--a man who was
at ease with anyone. Easy to be with, everyones' friend, that was Len
Bailey.
"I remember that cold December day before Ray's funeral when Len and I
had to go downtown to do some shopping. In one of the department stores
he stopped to discuss the merits of some gloves with a lady shopper. They
were so much at ease with each other one could have easily believed they
were man and wife. She seemed to enjoy his company and obviously
sensed his trustworthiness.
"We each bought a small crystal radio. Lacking sleeping space, he and I
had to sleep in the same bed and at night we would clip the antenna wires to
the bed springs and listen to the Christmas sounds of Portland.
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"I heard Len sing a time or so. He was very good and was a member of his
church choir in Canada.
"We had lengthy discussions of military service and he took great pride in
his military service.
"He spoke of his beloved 'Edie' and how a baby daughter had been born to
them and how the baby bled to death in the night because the doctor failed
to tie the umbilical cord properly. Len said, 'I gave that doctor hell for a half
hour.'
"Edie was a large person and Len delighted in the fact that she was strong
enough to pick him up and carry him around.
"On the sound track of 'My Fair Lady' prospective groom, Stanley Holloway
declares, 'There's drinks and girls all over London and I'm gonna track 'em
down in just a few more hours.' If you had heard Len's voice, you'd swear
that's Len talking. There is so much resemblance. I wish he were still
with us."
The family stayed in the Lethbridge area where Edith died on 1 Dec. 1955.
Len remained there for almost ten more years and died in Lethbridge on 5
May 1965.
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21 LILLIAN FLORENCE BAILEY MORTON
Lillian was born in Woolston, near Southampton, Hampshire County,
England on 27 Feb. 1896.
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Lillian Florence Bailey as a child in England
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Irene Morton McDonald related the following about her Mother:
"The family, as far as I knew, lived in Southampton, England.
Grandmother Bailey was a nurse who did home nursing, living at different
people’s houses to take care of the sick. Joseph was a steward on a ship
sailing from Southampton to London. He was lost at sea when Mother was
two years old. From that point on the brothers raised Mother. They took
her to school with them, cared for her at home while Grandmother worked.
They would see Grandmother maybe once a week. Most of the things I
know about my family came from my Mother in stories.
"They must have lived close to the ocean shore because she would tell of
going down to look for fruit that might have fallen off ships passing through.
Mother started her education when she was three. As long as the boys
(her brothers) took her the teacher said: We'll start her.
"Mother's growing up experience was in a one-parent family with
Grandmother coming home between jobs to really clean, cook ahead for
the children and catch up on laundry. Mom always talked of it as a loving
family and she stayed close to her brothers always.
"I will try to relate some of the stories from her childhood that will give us
some insight on the whole. When Grandmother Bailey would come home,
she could not understand why the sheets were so dirty, until she discovered
that the three boys and Mother were getting into bed with all their clothes,
high boots and all, ready for school the next day. This enabled them to
sleep later in the morning.
"One Easter they were all dressed in their Easter finery and sent to church,
but instead went wild blackberry picking. They boys white pants and
Mom's Easter dress were ruined, plus they used her Easter bonnet to put
the berries in.
"When Mother (Lillian) was seventeen (probably about fourteen) they came
to Canada. The boys went to work in the mines at Taber, Alberta. Mom
was at a dating age. Many beaus she brought home, but the boys would
not approve of them. After much trying she finally brought home a young
man that the boys accepted. They became engaged. Shortly thereafter
he joined the army and was sent to France during World War I, where he
was killed in action.
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"After some time, Mother met my Dad, Albert Raymond Morton. After my
Dad was discharged from the Canadian Army, he worked for the Canadian
Pacific Railway. He also worked in the Alberta coal mines with Mother's
brothers. Here he met Mother, but her brothers were not enthused about
his courting my Mother so they eloped. Mother was 22 and Dad was 35.
After the wedding the brothers and Grandmother Bailey did accept him and
they all became good friends. Mother and Dad moved to Great Falls,
Montana and Dad continued to cross the border to work in the mines.
Somewhere along the line, my Father became a steamfitter (Canadian
Pacific Railroad) and worked most of my childhood doing that.
"Sometime in the first year or two after they were married, Mother became ill
with Rheumatic Fever and was hospitalized. She didn't seem to be getting
much better after a lengthy stay, so Dad carried her home (she was too
weak to walk). He nursed her back to health. He used to carry her out to
get some sunshine and see the garden. He cooked and did all the
cleaning and housekeeping. Mother did finally regain her health to a
degree, although from that time on, she had heart problems and asthma.
"About four years later, after a sickly pregnancy, she gave birth to a baby
girl (my older sister) Bernice Jane Louise Morton (6 Mar. 1923). Fifteen
months later, I (Irene Gladys Morton) appeared on the scene (18 June
1924). For both of the births, Mother went home to Alberta, Canada so that
Grandmother Bailey could take care of her. These trips were on a
six-weeks visiting permit and Mother did not have us re-registered in the
United States, so both my sister and I have Canadian birth certificates. It
became tiresome for Mother to explain the birth certificates so she said on
all our school and church records: Birthplace--Great Falls, Montana."
Ray was totally devoted to Lillian. Their children remember that he brought
her breakfast in bed "every day of their married life". It consisted of toast
and tea. Perhaps because of her poor health early in their married life, Ray
was in the habit of tenderly caring for his wife and through the years his love
increased because of his devoted service.
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Ray moved his family to wherever he could find work. In Great Falls he
worked on the construction of two dams being built in the area. When that
was concluded they moved to Wenatchee, Washington and then to Las
Vegas, Nevada to work on dams being built in that area. They often lived
in construction camps under pretty simple conditions. In Las Vegas, Lillian
gave birth to her third daughter, Shirley Jean Morton, on 2 June 1933.
Irene tells about this time of their life:
"When I was nine, my younger sister, Shirley, was born so now there were
three of us. Shirley was a tiny baby, four pounds something, when she
came home from the hospital and Dad made her an incubator. It had flat
pockets all around the sides in which flat whiskey bottles could be placed.
It was my job to keep them filled with hot water so the bed would always be
cozy warm. I remember feeling very proud of my job.
"We lived in a tent-house. The sides were wood, the top canvas. We had
a big dining, cooking, eating room and a bedroom attached to the back.
Dad even built us a shower with a big barrel on a large pole. The sun
heated the water in the barrel after it was carried in buckets. We walked to
school about a mile away. It was a very poor time much of the last two
years that we lived there.
"Our playground at McKeeversville was the desert. Off in the distance
were some mountains and most Saturdays a bunch of us kids, maybe ten,
ages 7-12, would pack lunches and head for the caves and rock climbing.
So that we would be home on time, my Mom would hang a bright red quilt
on the clothes line, which you could see for miles and we would know it was
time to head home. If we stayed too long we could see some of the Dads,
mine included, coming."
When work ran out in Montana, Ray and Lillian moved their family to
Polson, Montana to work on the building of the Kerr dam. Here the two
older girls attended high school. They bought a nice home overlooking
Flathead Lake. This was on the west side of the bridge leaving Polson.
Again, work soon ran out and in this small community it was hard to find
something else to do. The world was still trying to combat the economic
effects of the Great Depression and times were difficult.
112
When Pearl Harbor was bombed, the US joined the allied powers in World
War II. Immediately a secretive operation began construction near Pasco,
Washington. This later became known as the Hanford Nuclear
Reservation but at that time few people knew what was being built there.
Ray found work as a pipe fitter but so many workers were coming into the
area that housing was unavailable. Ray went to work at Hanford and lived
in the barracks but the family stayed in Polson long enough for Irene to
graduate from high school. Lillian then moved closer to Ray but with the
housing shortage, Walla Walla was the closest they could come. This was
a drive of almost two hours back then and Ray could only travel home on
weekends.
Eventually they bought a small trailer and were able to move closer to Ray's
work. They stayed in the Richland, Washington area for the rest of Ray's
working career (except for a short trial of a chicken ranch in Hermiston,
Oregon). When Ray finally retired, about 1957, he and Lill moved to
Portland and set up their trailer on Lombard Street. Here they bought their
first television.
It was not long before they bought a house in S.E. Portland and then moved
again to another home on Johnson Creek, also in S.E. Portland in about
1958. Don McDonald tells of an experience one night after a tremendous
rain storm, that he got a call from Lillian. Johnson Creek, which ran along
their back yard, was flooding and Ray wanted Don to come get her. By the
time Don reached the house the water was up so high that he had to park
the car about a block away and wade in the last fifty yards or so. Just
before he reached the porch, the water depth slightly exceeded the height
of his hip-waders. The house sat up on a high foundation but the water
was just about an inch below the floor and Ray was busy with towels
mopping up along the threshold. Ray stayed there all night to fight the
rising water and protect his home but he asked Don to take Lill to the
McDonald's for the night. Don carried his Mother-in-law for the block to the
safety of his car and then went back for her beloved dog, Clinker. In the
excitement, Clinker had forgotten to empty his 50 gallon bladder but
somewhere in that one block hike in Don's arms, Clinker remembered to
drain the tank.
113
In about 1959, Ray and Lill again moved to a house near Reed College.
They were here however, for just a very short time when Ray became ill with
a bowel obstruction. He went to the hospital but was not improving. Don
went down to visit him and ask if there was anything he could do for his
Father-in-law, thinking that he might need some things done back at his
home. Ray thought for a minute and said, "No, Lill has enough fuel oil to
get her through to about March and everything should be about right. Just
take care of Lilly for me."
He seemed to know that he would not be coming home and his thoughts
were on the welfare of his beloved wife. A couple days later, Ray died of
heart failure on 19 Dec. 1959. He was buried in the Rose City cemetery.
Soon after Ray died, Lill bought a house in Rose City (a suburb of Portland)
that was close to her daughter, Bernice. Lillian was very lonely for a while.
Don and Irene remembered going over to visit her and she had barricaded
herself in her house with knives wedged in the doorway to protect against
intruders. Many times she would call up in the middle of the night and talk
for hours to help her cope with her loneliness.
In time, Lill overcame her anxieties and enjoyed her last ten years. Bernice
and Ted Romer and their children came over often to help Lill take care of
her yard work and other similar tasks. She liked to watch her soap-operas
and play with her dogs: Clinker and Scamper. She was happy and loving
and in her British accent she called everyone "Dearie" so she wouldn't have
to sort out the right names.
The highlight of her week seemed to be shopping at Lloyd Center. Every
Saturday Don and Irene McDonald and their children accompanied her to
look for a pair of red shoes. They would spend the morning walking around
the mall and return home without the desired shoes. Finally, one Saturday,
shortly before she died, she found and bought a pair of red shoes and that
seemed to satisfy her shopping needs.
114
Lillian died in Portland on 1 Oct. 1969. Her two oldest daughters were
living in Portland at that time and Shirley and her family were in Cle Elum,
Washington. The family gathered for her funeral on 4 Oct. 1969 and she
was buried next to her husband in the Rose City cemetery.
Irene said of her Mother, "My Mom was something else. She was funny,
hot tempered and very English in her speech and attitudes. She always
had friends wherever we lived. Although she was sickly a good share of
the time, she was a great Mom."
And so we conclude our story as we reflect back and realize that we had a
lot of "Great Moms" and "Great Dads" in our family heritage. We only wish
we knew more about each of them. It is because of their sacrifices that
each of us is here today. They deserve our respect, our acknowledgment
and our sincerest appreciation. [More information on Lillian and Ray
Morton and their family can be read in Our Morton Heritage in a separate
volume.
115
Lillian Florence Bailey Morton
116
L to R: Lillian, Leonard, Sarah Jane (mother) and Fredrick Bailey
117
STAKER-BONIFACE-WHEATLEY-WIER-HORNER-BAILEY-MORTON
World History Date Family History
======================================= ==== =======================
Columbus arrested and brought to Spain 1500
Michelangelo's "David" sculpture
Henry VIII crowned King of England (18)
and marries Catharine of Aragon
Leonardo da Vinci designs a water wheel 1510
Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting
Ponce de Leon discovers Florida
Future Queen "Bloody" Mary Tudor born
Martin Luther's 95 theses--Reformation
L. Da Vinci dies; Cortes in Mexico 1520
F. Magellan killed in the Philippines
G. da Verrazano discovers New York Bay
N. Machiavelli dies in Italy
Outbreak of "The Plague" in England
Thomas More replaces Wolsey as Chancllr 1530
Henry VIII is Head of Church in Engl.
Henry VIII secretly marries Anne Boleyn Richard Staker is born
and future Queen Elizabeth I is born
Death of 3 Queens of Henry VIII
Henry VIII marries Anne & Catherine 1540
Queen Catherine Howard executed
Henry VIII marries Catherine Parr (6th)
Martin Luther dies
Henry VIII dies; son Edward VI is King
First game of Cricket & Billiards 1550
St. Andrews Golf Club in Scotland
King Edward VI dies; Mary is Queen
Archbp Thomas Cranmer burned at stake
Queen Mary dies; Elizabeth I is Queen
Mary Queen of Scots claims crown of Eng 1560
Shane O'Neill rebellion in Ireland
European Plague; kills 20,000 in London Edward Staker is born
W. Shakespeare & Galileo are born in Yapton, Sussex Co.
Mary Queen of Scots abdicates & flees
Parliament forbids export of wool 1570
Parliament demands execution of Q. Mary
University of Berlin founded
Population of London is 180,000
James VI reigns in Scotland
Ivan IV "The Terrible" kills his son 1580
First English colony in Newfoundland
Sir Walter Raleigh discovers Virginia
Babington plot to murder Elizabeth I Edward S. = Anne Mylle
Mary Queen of Scots executed in Eng. Henry Staker b. in Yapton
Galileo is professor at Univ of Pisa 1590
Plague kills 15,000 in London
Shakespeare writes: Romeo & Juliet
Galileo invents the thermometer
Spanish Armada scatterd by storm
Shakespeare writes Hamlet 1600
Queen Elizabeth dies, James I is King
Guy Fawkes arrested; Santa Fe NM founded
Rembrandt born; Jamestown VA founded
Champlain founds Quebec for France
Galileo observes Jupiter's moons 1610
Colonization of Bermuda & Manhattan
Galileo first faces the Inquisition
Shakespear dies; Galileo forbidden Henry Staker = Ann Patching
Sir Walter Raleigh executed in London Edward Staker b Walberton
Pilgrim's Mayflower lands at Plymouth 1620
Wm Bradford becomes Govr of Plymouth
James I dies; Charles is King of England
Dutch colongy of New Amsterdam founded
Massachusetts Bay Colony founded
All pirates unite as Buccaneers 1630
Plague in Bavaria misses Oberammergau
Colonization of Connecticut begins
Harvard College founded at Cambridge MS
Torture abolished in England Edward = Susanna Ameares
Catholic rebels massacre Prot. in Ire. 1640 Henry Staker b. Walberton
Galileo dies; English Civil War begins
Louis XIV is King of France
Roundheads win the English Civil War
Charles I is tried, imprisoned, beheaded
World population est. 500 million 1650
Oliver Cromwell becomes "Lord Protector"
Cromwell prohibits Anglican services
Cromwell rejects the title of "King"
Cromwell dies, succeeded by son Richard
Parliment invites Charles II to England 1660
Charles II is crowned King of England
Great Plague of London kills 68,596
Great Fire of London (Feb 2-9)
Isaac Newton builds reflecting telescope Henry Staker = Joane Nash
Milton writes "Paradise Regained" 1670
Marquette & Joliet explore Mississippi
Greenwich Observatory established Henry Jr b. at Walberton
Ice Cream becomes popular in Paris
John Bunyan writes "Pilgrim's Progress"
Flightless Dodo bird becomes extinct 1680
Roger Williams of Rhode Island dies
Charles II dies; brother James II reigns
Catholics readmitted to English army
James II escapes; William & Mary reign
William III defeats James II in Ireland 1690
Massacre of Clan Mac Donald at Glencoe
Queen Mary II dies; William III reigns
Whitehall Palace in London burns down
Paper manufacturing begins in America
James II dies. "Old Pretender" emerges 1700 Henry S = Eliza. Duffield
William III dies, Queen Anne reigns
In prison Daniel Defoe begins The Review
England & Scotland form Great Britain
Old Pretender lands in Scotland (4 days)
France's Louis XV is born 1710 Jane Staker b. at Oving
Last execution for witchcraft in Eng.
Queen Anne dies; George arrives in Eng.
Current composers are Bach & Handel
First Cricket: Londoners v Kentish Men
Postal service begins: London-New Eng. 1720
Flora MacDonald, Scot heroine, is born
Alexander Pope translates "The Odyssey"
George I dies; son George II reigns
Ben Franklin publishes "Penn. Gazette"
10 Downing St. built for Prime Minister 1730 Jane S. = Edward Boniface
George Washington is born in Virginia Elizabeth B. b at Binsted
John Adams & Paul Revere are born
Queen Caroline dies (wife of George II)
Future King George III is born
Handel composes "The Messiah" (18 days) 1740
Maria Theresa crowned; T Jefferson born
"Young Pretender" lands in Scotland
Wearing of the Tartan outlawed in G.B.
Scotish Clan system abolished
Calendar changed to begin on Jan. 1st 1750 Elizabeth = John Wheatley
Ben Franklin flies his kite and key Eliza. Wheatley b. Pagham
Marie Antoinette & Louis XVIII are born
Wolfgang A. Mozart is born in Salzburg
Geo. Washington captures Fort Duquesne
George II dies; grdsn George III reigns 1760
Ben Franklin makes a musical harmonica
At age 8 Mozart writes first Symphony
England places tax on tea sold in N.A.
Cpt Cook begins 1st voyage of the world
Boston Massacre of civilians by troops 1770 Eliza. W. = Jacob Wyer
Boston Tea Party to protest taxes
Paul Revere's ride; the War begins
Declaration of Independence
Cpt James Cook discovers Hawaii
British surrender at Yorktown 1780
Ben Franklin negotiates peace treaty
James Watt's steam engine in a factory
US Constitution signed; Penn 1st State Grace Wier born at Pagham
Washington is Pres; French Revolution
Franklin dies; Wash. DC is founded 1790
Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette executed
Napoleon appointed Commander-in-Chief
John Adams defeats Jefferson for Pres.
Washington dies; Rosetta Stone found
Jefferson Pres; Ireland is part of G.B. 1800
Jefferson buys Louisiana from Napoleon
Napoleon crowns himself Emporer Grace Wier = Wm Horner
French army in Berlin, Poland & Portugal Sarah Horner b at Pagham
Napoleon div. Josephine; A Lincoln born
Composers: Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt 1810
George III insane; War of 1812 begins
Washington burned; Napoleon's Waterloo
US begins construction of the Erie Canal
Max 12 hr work day set for English youth
King George III dies; Napoleon dies 1820
King George IV is King of England
John Q. Adams elected Pres by US House Sarah H = Thomas Binstead
Niepce produces photos on metal plates
Duke of Wellington is Prime Minister
William IV becomes King of England 1830
Abolition of slavery in British Empire Thomas Binstead dies
Poor Law: No assistance outside workhse Sarah H B = Joseph Bailey
William IV dies; Victoria is Queen
England begins birth registration
Queen Victoria marries Prince Albert 1840 Daniel Bailey b at Pagham
Morse builds telegraph line DC to Balt.
Texas & Florida become US states
Potato famine in Ireland begins
California gold rush
Population (in Mill.) US 23: GB 20.8 1850
Harriet B. Stowe "Uncle Toms Cabin"
Florence Nightingale in Crimean War
"Big Ben" (Parliament clock bell) cast
Suez Canal begins; Ottawa is Canada Cap. Dan Bailey = Ruth Sparks
A. Lincoln Pres; US Civil War begins 1860
Emancipation Proc; Gettysburg Address
Lincoln killed; Civil War ends
GB creates Dom. of Canada; Alaska sold
Debtors prison abolished in Britain Joseph Bailey b Kingston
Pop. (Mill): Germany 41; US 39; GB 26 1870
US Amnesty Act pardons most Confederates
First swim of Eng Channel by Webb 22 hrs
Bell makes telephone; Edison phonograph
Electric street lights in London
US Pres Garfield killed; Arthur is Pres 1880
First Skyscraper in Chicago--10 stories
First deep tube (subway in London)
Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee (50 yrs)
"Jack the Ripper" murders 6 in London Joseph B = Sarah J Sparks
Conan Doyle "Advntr of Sherlock Holmes" 1890 Reginald B b at London
Karl Benz & Henry Ford build autos Fredrick B b at London
Death duties (inheritance tax) in Brit. Leonard B b Southampton
First modern Olympics held in Athens Lillian B b Southampton
Spanish-American War; Boer War
Queen Victoria dies; Edward VII reigns 1900
Wright brothers fly first airplane
1st motor buses in London; Panama Canal
San Francisco earthquake; "Mutt & Jeff"
London Olympics, US wins 15 of 28 golds
Edward VII dies; George V is King 1910
NM & Ariz made US states; Titanic sinks
WW I begins; Zepplin attacks on London Baileys migrate to Canada
First Rose Bowl: WA St 14 vs Brown 0 Len B. = Edith E Stanford
War ends: 8.5 MM dead; flu kills 22 MM Lillian B = A. Ray Morton
Babe Ruth goes to Yankees; Prohibition 1920 Fred = Gert; Reg = Mary
Irish Free State; 4 MM Ger. Marks = $1 Bernice M. b at Taber, AL
Hitler organizes Nazis; "Mein Kampf" Irene M. b at Taber, AL
Elizabeth II born; Lindbergh's flight
Wyatt Earp dies; Stock Market crashes
Deadwood Dick dies; Al Capone jailed 1930
FDR Pres; Hitler in power; TV invented Shirley M. b at Las Vegas
Hitler begins blood bath; Dillinger shot
Geo V dies; Ed VIII abdicates; Geo VI
Austrian Anschluss; Ger. invades Poland
Churchill is PM; FDR's 3rd term as Pres 1940
Japaness attack Pearl Harbor, US at war Bernice M. = Ted Romer
D-Day, Hitler dies, VE, Atomic Bomb, VJ Irene M = Donald McDonald
Nuremberg war trials; Al Capone dies Donna McD b at Bozeman MT
Nation of Israel, Rep of Eire proclaimed Carol McD b at Bozeman MT
Korean War; 22nd Amendment--2 term pres 1950 Mary McD b at Redlands CA
Elizabeth II Queen; Eisenhower US Pres Jim McD b at Portland OR
McCarthy Hearings; First 4 min mile Bette McD b at Portland
Troops to Little Rock for racial crisis Shirley = Russ Donaldson
USSR & US launch satelites, space race
US spy plane downed; Kennedy is US Pres 1960
Berlin Wall; Cuban missles; Kennedy shot
Deaths: MacArthur, H. Hoover, Churchill
Anti-war & race riots in US; 6 Day War Cheryl Stone b Portland
ML King & R Kennedy killed; Moon Walk Lorie Stone b Portland
18 yr olds vote in US; Nuclear test ban 1970
US withdraws from Vietnam; Watergate Carol McD = Harvey Stone
Oil embargo; Nixon resigns; Ford Pres. b. Jeff V; Bette = Lionel
US Bicentennial; Carter is US Pres. b. Clint, Marcole, Julie
Alaska pipeline; Israel-Egypt peace Jim=Pat; Adam; Donna=Geo
St Helens erupts; Reagan elected Pres. 1980 b. Jesse, Heather, Amy
Iran hostages released, Lebanon hostages b. Trinna N.
Nuclear accident at Chernobyl USSR b. Kyra V. & Robert McD.
Chinese students rebel; Bush is US Pres. b. Tyler N.
Berlin Wall falls; Germanies unite b. Caitlin McD
Persion Gulf War; Collapse of USSR 1990
Bill Clinton elected US President Irene McDonald dies