Born on St Patrick's Day: Happy 115th Mary

They say that its good luck to be Irish, and that the luckiest of all are those who are born on St Patrick's Day. No doubt this is what was said the day that my great grandmother was born. However, her life was not necessarily filled with the good luck that the superstition had predicted. As much as she had a hard life, her life was also an "ordinary" one of a young British immigrant to Canada. Despite that, the simple life she led in youth was filled with fun. She embrace the changing times, new found freedoms, and innovations. Its the heirlooms from that chapter of her life that fascinate me the most because they show aside to her that none of my relatives knew - a woman who was happy. So today, I am going to share the side of her that one of those heirlooms tells.

I have a small black autograph book that was hers.  At almost 100 years old, the book binding has all but disintegrated yet the leather cover is in near pristine condition and the partially bound pages are all intact. The edges of each page are coated in gold ink and the paper even had a slight sparkle to it. The book, despite its age and worn appearance, is beautiful. The entries inside were written not only by her but also by her closest friends and family. The first entry is by her best friend. The inscription reads: 

Wishing you a Marry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I count myself in nothing else so happy,

as in a soul remembering my good friends 

Dec 19 1925

I've searched up many of the poems and have determined which were originals and which were popular ones of the day. One of my personal favourites is an early entry that was written by her ex boyfriend. The original poem mocks her dish washing ability by comparing it to "finding fishes". I know what he is referring to. If dish washing is an inheritable trait then I (unknowingly) inherited my dish washing ability from her - water going everywhere and the dishes somehow never coming out as clean as I would like. (She must have been elated when she finally had a dishwasher to do the work for her!)

Mary is my little girl,

She sets my heart all in a whirl,

She awfully keen on washing dishes,

That is, if she cant "Find Fishes".

HER SWEETHEART JACK       23.12.25

The pages of her autograph book quickly shift between humour, wisdom, and poetry. Another one of my favourites is an original that was written by her mother Alice. By this point, the family had faced a considerable amount of loss and this poem in particular speaks to the wisdom that Alice would have gained from her own life experiences.  Her words speak to the strength she had to keep going after losing her husband during WW1 and also losing her young son in 1923. 

When questions sad beset the mind

On what is false and what is true

I find that "work" at least is real - 

Its good to have a job to do.

Alice 

Dec 25 1925

There are another series of original poems and jokes that were written by her best friend's (the one who gave her the book) future husband. Based on my knowledge this man was a good friend of Mary's older brother and briefly lived with her family around the time that these poems were written. His entries are among the most colourful in personality and give me an idea of the company Mary and her friends often chose to keep. 

The cat sat on the car lines

The driver rang his bell

The car went on to Young St.

and the cat went on to - 

      well it got there

Harry    Dec 28/1926


On today, a simple holiday that most of the world celebrates with beer, shamrocks, and all things green, I choose to celebrate my great grandmother Mary. I choose to reflect on all the heirlooms she behind and the window that they provide me into what her life would have been like. 

Happy 115th Birthday Mary!

Related Posts

A Shamrock for Mary: Happy 113th Birthday! 

Setting Precedence: How my Great Grandmother Fought the Metro Courts (and Won!)

Case Study: How to Locate Extinct Addresses

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