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448. Alice Emily⁶ JAMES (Arthur⁵, Samuel⁴, Samuel³, Samuel², Richard¹) was born 24 Mar 1896 in Fesserton, Tay Twp., Simcoe Co., Ontario, Canada, and died 06 Feb 1967 in Toronto General Hospital, Ontario, Canada. She married (1) Alexander "Tresy" MOWERS 05 Aug 1916 in Fesserton, Ontario, Canada, son of Alexander MOWERS and Melinda TAYLOR. He was born Bet. 09 May 1894 - 1896 in Waubaushene, Ontario, Canada²⁹⁴. She met (2) William "Bill" OLIVER 1928 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, son of Willliam OLIVER and Lavinia PICKFORD. He was born 28 Mar 1893 in Ontario, Canada, and died 10 Jun 1956.
Notes for Alice Emily JAMES:
The James-Scarrow family Bible indicates that Alice married her home town boyfriend Alex Mowers 5 Aug 1916. They had one son, Clarence, abandoned by Alex sometime after 1920. This suggests that Alex and Alice may have spent less than a year of their married life together, as Alex sailed to England May 14, 1917 and was demobilized in Toronto in 1919.
Alice also had a daughter Ila with Bill Oliver, a man she must have known from back home since he is buried in Coldwater Cemetery with his parents and his brothers. Together they ran a roominghouse at 211 Clinton St. in Toronto, a house chosen because of its proximity to a school for the deaf. Friends and relatives came and went, including Alice's sister-in-law, Ruth James, who lived at 215 Clinton St. during the World War II.
Rumour has it that Alice took to drink when her only daughter Ila became deaf due to "spinal meningitis," but after hearing Ila's story all my life, I was able to recognize the signs of the disease when my son Jesse was struck by bacterial meningitis in 1979.
Alice also helped care for several of her grandchildren at the Clinton St. house, offspring of her son Clarence and his first wife, Margaret Barrett.
More About Alice Emily JAMES:
Burial: Coldwater? Ontario, Canada
Cause of Death: Cervical cancer
Resided: 211 Clinton St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Notes for Alexander "Tresy" MOWERS:
"Alexander Mowers" enlisted in the Canadian Expeditonary Force at Waubaushene, Ontario on June 22, 1916 (regimental #853625). In contrast to the 1901 Census, his birthday was recorded as May 9, 1895. He was 5' 10" with blue eyes and fair hair. His occupation was listed as motor boat engineer. He married Alice Emily James two months later, just before he sailed to England and went from there to fight in France. He served in the 4th Battalion in France. He suffered a fractured rib during a baseball game in Villers-Baulin.
Family sources indicate that T. Alexander was a soldier at Camp Borden while he was married to Alice James. Camp Borden records reportedly indicate that he went AWOL, probably after he left Alice and their young son Clarence.
Family members believe that he had a second family.
More About Alexander "Tresy" MOWERS:
Discharged: 15 Jul 1919, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Emigration: 1949, went "out west"
Enlisted: 22 Jun 1916, 177th Battalion (Waubaushene detachment), Canadian Expeditionary Force
Medical Information: Alexander's death certificate recorded his birthday as 10 June 1900, but he was probably at least five years older.
Service Number: 228118
More About William "Bill" OLIVER:
Burial: Coldwater Cemetery (south section), Ontario, Canada
Child of Alice JAMES and Alexander MOWERS is:
638 i. Clarence "Clare" Tracy⁷ MOWERS, born 23 Jul 1920 in Toronto? Ontario, Canada; died 27 Mar 1984 in Northwestern Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada²⁹⁵. He married (1) ??? RICE. He married (2) Margaret "Marg" Elizabeth BARRETT Abt. 1940 in Ontario, Canada²⁹⁶; born 04 Nov 1910; died 26 Dec 1978²⁹⁷. He married (3) Lorraine PARKER 1971²⁹⁷; born 02 Nov 1929 in Ontario, Canada; died 16 Mar 2006 in Henderson General Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Notes for Clarence "Clare" Tracy MOWERS:
A man who loved both cats and children, Clarence grew up to become a hero, in a ill-fated attempt to save his sleeping son from a burning house.
More About Margaret "Marg" Elizabeth BARRETT:
Occupation: Forelady at Maple Leaf Plastics, Toronto, Ontario; friend of Pearl (Braithwaite) James
Notes for Lorraine PARKER:
MOWERS, Lorraine - Peacefully, on March 16, 2006 at the Henderson General Hospital surrounded by her loving daughters. Beloved wife of the late Clarence Mowers (1984). Loving Mother of Wayne, Patricia, Allen, Susie Sweeney, Darlene Panchuk, Terry, Gail, Garry, Joanne Burns, Nancy DeGrace, Rob, Eileen Sumonja and her late sons Barry and Jimmy. Wonderful grandmother to many grand and great-grandchildren. Loved sister of Pauline Dixon, Bunny Rushton, William Parker and the late Barbara Watson. Friends will be received at the DONALD V. BROWN FUNERAL HOME, 36 Lake Avenue Dr., Stoney Creek (905-662-2948) on Sunday from 7-9 p.m. and Monday 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral Service to be held in the funeral home chapel on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 at 1 p.m. Interment to follow at White Chapel Memorial Gardens. Memorial donations to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated. [Hamilton Spectator]
Child of Alice JAMES and William OLIVER is:
639 i. Ila Lydia⁷ OLIVER, born 1929 in Ontario, Canada; died 10 Jun 1972. She married Ronnie DUSOME.
Notes for Ila Lydia OLIVER:
Betty Shannon wrote "Ila was a beautiful child and got meningitis at, I believe it was age 3. She lost all hearing at that time but communicated well by lip reading. Although she was totally deaf she loved to dance in rhythm to the music she felt through the floor." Hearing loss is one of the least serious side effects of bacterial meningitis as I found out when my own son contracted the disease more than forty years later. Ila attended a school for the deaf at Clinton Public School in Toronto, while her parents Bill and Alice Oliver ran a boarding house at 211 Clinton Street. She could speak somewhat, probably because she was already talking when she lost her hearing, but she also learned to sign.
She made one unfortunate marriage to Ronnie Dusome, a man destined to spend some time in jail and she also raised one daughter, either her own or one of her half-brother Clarence's, a young girl called Marlee. Marlee was supposed to be adopted, but some relations felt that this story was told to cover up her illegitimacy. Ila and Marlee spent some time with their cousin Eileen Taylor in Penetang, but Ila died of undisclosed causes in a nursing home while she was still in her forties, possibly of heart disease. It is not known what happened to the young girl Marlee, who was probably born about 1955. Ila's tombstone is a grey ground plaque in Coldwater Cemetery, inscribed "Illa Lydia Dusome, 1929-1972."
More About Ila Lydia OLIVER:
Burial: Coldwater Cemetery (west section), Ontario, Canada