Chapter Six Minnie's Children

Anna Grace Tanner (1883 - 1971)
She used her middle name "Grace" and was born 1883 December 15 at Cornwall, Ontario and raised there until about age 15 when her family moved to Ottawa. She worked almost twenty years as a stenographer before joining her youngest sister Hattie Patterson Tanner to train as a nurse at Montreal general Hospital. She was about 40 years old when she graduated as a nurse about 1923. She worked in several hospitals, being in Montreal, Edmonton, and finally returning to Ottawa by the late 1930s. She never married. From the late 1930s, she was living with sisters Mina Piltcher, Mary Isabella and Hattie Patterson at 29 Grosvenor Avenue in Ottawa, Ontario, and involved in the raising of five nephews and nieces (see details under Mina Pilcher Tanner). Grace was involved with the Women's Christian Temperance Union, and active in the United Church of Canada. For many years she attended Southminster, then Dominion-Chalmers Church in Ottawa. One active hobby was knitting and she made clothes for a number of members of the family, including me. She was family historian and kept close track of family history, researching and recording details of the family going back to the 18th century. She got me interested in family history in 1957 and much of her documentation and photographs eventually came to me. She remained with her sisters until the end of her life, moving with them several times within Ottawa. In 1970, her health failed and entered an assisted retirement home. She died from a stroke at age 87 in Ottawa 1971 June 7.

Grace about 1910.

Grace about 1962, engaged in her hobby of knitting.
Note dining room chair, table, candle holders, and buffet behind her.
These are in my home in 2008.

Late birth registration of Grace.
Her birth was not originally registered.

William Aird Tanner (1886 - 1944)
Known as "Will," he was born 1886 February 16 at Cornwall, Ontario. He was about 12 years old when he moved with his family to Ottawa. He worked at various printing firms and at a Regina newspaper, living much of his adult life in Regina. At age 26 married Iva Lillian Whittier (1890 - 1944) in Ottawa, Ontario 1912 April 9. They had six children: Richard Whittier, Marion Doris Grace, William Albert, Iva Lillian, Margaret Isobel, and Lois Ruth. Was unemployed much of the Depression, his health deteriorated, and his wife became mentally ill due to stress. She was institutionalised. Their daughter Ruth, in an interview with me about 1990, mentioned that aunt Tot Tanner, who was a nurse, once commented that it was shameful that the medical profession didn't do more to help her. Mental illness was poorly understood at the time. As a result, they were unable to care for their children, who were raised by a brother and several sisters, noted under Joseph, Isabella, and Mina. Will died, apparently of cancer, in Regina 1944 December 2 at age 58 and his wife died there exactly two weeks later.

Will, about 1938.

Marriage Registration.
No birth registration could be found. Apparently his birth was never registered.

Mary Isabella Tanner (1887 - 1960)
"Isobel," the name she used, was born 1887 December 28 at Cornwall, Ontario and was about 11 when her family moved to Ottawa. At age 28 she married Joseph Collingwood (1888 - 1941) at Ottawa, Ontario. They had three children, Anna Margaret, who died young, Joseph Alastair, and Margaret Grace ("Gay"). The family also took care of a niece Marion Doris Grace Tanner for a period in the late 1930s when Marion's parents were unable to care for her. The family lived in Regina, Saskatchewan for a number of years in the 1920s and 1930s where her husband Joseph worked as an accountant. Her husband was a veteran of World War I and was injured during a gas attack. A few years after her husband's death 1941 November 11, Isobel moved from Regina to join her sisters Grace, Mina, and Hattie ("Tot") in Ottawa. While her sisters were involved in the United Church, Isobel did not join that church at the union, but remained a Presbyterian. Isobel died at Ottawa 1960 July 7 at age 72.

Isobel about 1956.
Like her sister Grace, she liked to knit.

Isobel's birth registration was also late, as her parents failed to register her birth.

Marriage registration.

Robert Dalgleish Tanner (1890 - 1894)

Robert was born at Cornwall, Ontario 1890 March 21. It is unknown if he had a shortened or nickname. He died at Cornwall, age just short of 4 years and 10 months 1894 December 16. Cause of death was listed as "Croup, 2 days."

Robert at age 4 in 1894.
Probably taken a few months before his death.

Robert's death registration.
No birth registration was found.

Edith Reed Tanner (1892 - 1939)
Edith was born in Cornwall 1892 January 7 and was about 6 when her family moved to Ottawa. At the age of 25 she married Paul Chester Kirkpatrick (1889 - 1958) at Ottawa 1917 June 2. She was a registered nurse. They had five children: Donald Vernon, Dorothy Grace, James Gordon, Alan Douglas, and Muriel Anne. Dorothy Grace died as an infant. Edith died at Ottawa 1939 April 18 at age 47. Her husband was a Civil Engineer who travelled and was unable to care for the children. Their children Gordon, Alan, and Muriel lived with their aunt Mina for some years.

Edith about 1910.

Marriage registration.
It appears her birth was not registered.

Mina Pilcher Tanner (1894 - 1979)
Mina was born in Cornwall, Ontario 1894 December 5. She moved to Ottawa with her family about 1898 when she was about 4. After completing high school, she worked as a bank clerk until shortly after her marriage, and then continued to do bank clerical work on-and-off for short periods after her marriage. Throughout her life, she worked an an enumerator for most federal elections. To get this work, she joined both the Liberal and Conservative parties, as enumerator jobs were usually patronage appointments to party members. She was an active member of he United Church of Canada, particularly with the Missionary Society, and was an officer of the United Church Women. She married at age 20 to Alexander Cloudsley Low at Ottawa 1915 August 7. They had one son, James Reed Low born at Ottawa 1916 April 3. She, along with her husband and sisters Grace, Tot, and Isobel, all lived together and were involved with raising five nephews and nieces: Alan, Gordon and Muriel Kirkpatrick, and Lillian and Ruth Tanner. She lived in Ottawa all her life, living with the large extended family from the late 1930s until the early 1950s at 29 Grosvenor. By 1970, she and her sister Grace were living together alone, being the last two survivors of the children of Minnie. She developed Alzheimer's and entered assisted care facility in 1970, along with her older sister. Mina was the last living child of Minnie when she died 1979 February 13 at age 84, almost 60 years after the death of her mother.

Mina about 1935.

Mina with me in 1941.

Birth registration of Mina
(although registered on time, the name wasn't entered until 1957!)

Marriage registration.

Richard Taylor Tanner (1896 - 1969)
Taylor (sometimes Dick) was born at Cornwall 1896 June 20 and was about 2 years old when his family moved to Ottawa. He was about 18 when he joined the Canadian Army and was sent to France during World War I. He was injured in battle and spent the last year of the war in England, where he met his wife Elsie Pattie Sadd (1891 - 1971). They were married at Willsdden, England 1919 February 15, just three days before his mother Minnie died. They moved to Canada in 1919, but lived variously in the United States and England, where Taylor worked for banks. They had one son John Richard Harvey Tanner. In searching records, I found several passenger lists. They sailed from London to New York on the SS Minnekahda arriving 1926 March 30 (husband, wife, and son). Husband and wife flew from Toronto to New York in 1945. Husband and wife were on the Queen Elizabeth from Southamton arriving in New York 1951 July 5, in transit to Canad. Taylor died in England in 1969 at age 72 and his wife died there about two years later.

Taylor in uniform about 1917.

Taylor about 1957.

Richard's birth registration.
He was still unnamed at time of registration.

Attestation paper of Army for World War I.

Flight from Toronto to New York, 1945.

Trip on the Queen Elizabeth 1951.

Hattie Patterson ("Tot") Tanner (1899 - 1963)
Tot was the name she always went by. She was the youngest of the children of Minnie and the only one not born in Cornwall. She was born in Ottawa 1899 December 28. She was an early member of the Girl Guides in Canada and very active in the growth and activities of the Guide movement. As a guide leader in 1919, she escorted the Prince of Wales (Edward) in events on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. She became a registered nurse in her early 20s and spent her entire life as a nurse. For many years, she was the nurse in the office of Dr. Fisher in Ottawa. Tot never married. She lived with her sisters Mina, Isobel, and Grace and was involved in assisting raising six nephews and nieces: Reed Low, Alan, Gordon and Muriel Kirkpatrick, and Lillian and Ruth Tanner. She was noted as a world traveller, taking many escorted trips to the Caribbean and Europe, along with car trips across Canada. She died at home, 120 Lewis Street in Ottawa 1963 July 31 at age 63 from cancer of the pancreas. I was present at the time of her death.

Tot about 1915 as a teenager.

Tot, in Girl Guide uniform, escorting the Prince of Wales on Parliament Hill in 1919.

Tot in the office of her employer, Dr. Fisher, 1958.

Tot, about 1960.

Birth registration.
Ottawa didn't give as much information as Cornwall.

The Sisters Together.
Over the years, I found several pictures of all sisters taken together, but none of just the brothers together. Here are three "Sister Pictures."

All five girls of the family appear in this picture taken about 1915.
Edith, Isobel, Tot, Grace, Mina.

Four of the sisters were alive for this picture taken in 1958.
Tot, Mina, Isobel, Grace.

Now down to three sisters about 1961.
Mina, Grace, Tot.
Shown are the dining room table, candle holders and buffet
that are in my home in 2008.

The entire family appears in the Ottawa census of 1901. After an extensive search of the 1911 census, including the address I knew they were living at, I discovered their house was missed by the census takers. Here is the family listing in the 1901 census.

Concluding Comment.
In knowing this family since birth and having known some of the children of Minnie well (Mina, Grace, Isobel, and Tot), I came to understand that their mother was the matriarch of the family who kept the family close-knit. After her death, it was her daughters who carried on their mother's role and were responsible in maintaining and preserving a close relationship among the extended family, even though some moved far away. They made sure that Minnie's grandchildren were well taken care of, especially when sometimes difficulties prevented some parents from taking care of their children for a period of time. It was the women in the family who were in charge and kept family life progressing. This was highlighted in the fact that, over the years, the sisters would often appear in group photographs, but there were never group photographs of just the brothers.

- Jim Low